Feathers of the Skies
by ShadowBladeFX
Summary: The war with Plegia draws near. Ae'dyn still doesn't know why Chrom asked him to join the Shepherds, but with the help of a certain Pegasus Knight, he endeavors to find out. Will he discover how important he really is? Or will all his struggles be for nothing? M!AvatarxCordelia. Other pairings may be suggested. UPDATE: CHAPTER 6 ADDED! Please review!
1. Chapter 1 - Battles of the Mind

**Hello, fellow writers! This is my first FanFic! Woohoo! :) I'm not really sure about this entire thing so far, so reviews would be GREATLY appreciated. This is going to be an Avatar/Ae'dyn x Cordelia story, though it may not be clear sometimes. But like the rest of you, I need help in writing this whole thing! So once again, please feel free to review! Thank you all for reading this! It really means a lot to me! Enjoy! :D**

**-Shadow**

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**I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its worlds, places, items, or characters. Fire Emblem is a copyright of Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Only original character is the name of the Avatar, Ae'dyn. All others I DO NOT OWN.**

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"... Come to me..." The raspy voice beckoned. "Don't resist..." The dark cloud before me swirled eerily, building with each passing second. The world was dark; pitch black save for a tinge of purple on the horizon.

"My... Son..." The voice rang out like a gong. The cloud burst with tremendous force, consuming me like a thick, deadly blanket. I gasped for air, feeling deprived of life. The heat escaped my body and I felt the thoughts being sucked out of my brain like a vacuum. Hyperventilating, I tried to open my eyes to see around me, but I saw nothing. Then the lurking high-pitched whine pierced my ears, ringing loudly like a high perpetual air-horn. I gasped at the air, unable to keep myself upright, and landed with a loud few bangs on the dark ground.

I sat up suddenly in bed, gasping for air as I heard my door being knocked upon. "Unnngh... C-Come in..." I winced, clutching at my chest. I looked up groggily, to see an extremely ashen Chrom standing at the door of my room. Panting, I collapsed back onto my pillow, never realizing the potentiality of its fluffy attributes.

"Ae'dyn! Are you o-okay?" Chrom cried, dashing to the side of my bed. Resting a hand on my forehead, he sighed deeply. "It's okay... *whew* ... Breathe..." He gasped, attempting to calm me down. By this point, I was pouring in sweat, literally having had the living guts pulled out of me. I still breathed rapidly, grabbing at whatever part of fabric my hand could find.

"O-Okay... Isn't... Exactly... The correct... Term..." I muttered between heavy breaths. By the look in Chrom's anguished face, I could tell I was as white as my bed sheets. "More... Or less... In a merely... Vexing condition... Ugh..." I added, flopping my arms tiredly on the mattress, trying to calm myself down a few levels.

"It's okay... It's okay... Relax." Chrom smiled warmly, trying to comfort me. "Heck of a nightmare, huh?" He stood straight, looking relieved at my recovery.

"Wasn't a... Nightmare. More like... A dark, creepy, life-defying whirlpool of despair... Heh. Ugh... And a nightmare." I tried to smile as I finally regained my sense of clarity. "Well then... Good morning, Chrom!"  
"Well... I beg to differ for some of us. But yes, besides the nightmare, it is a good morning, Ae'dyn." Chrom again smiled, giving off another sigh of relief. "I had hoped that we could discuss strategy, but perhaps we could wait until lunch is over–"

"Wait! ... Lunch? Geez, Chrom! How late is it?!" I sat up in exasperation, reaching for my sword sheath.

Chrom sat down on a chair nearby as he spoke his answer. "Well it's almost 12:10, but I figured it best to–"

"12:10?! Chrom! I'm late for my training exercises!" I bolted from bed, grabbing my blue tunic as I sped to my closet.

Chrom sat up hurriedly, trying to explain the situation. "Y-Yes, but Frederick thought that you–"

"I've got my whole life planned every day! Now I'm late for training, meetings, now strategies–"

"Ae'dyn! STOP!" Chrom raised his voice, grabbing my shoulder firmly. I turned to meet his deep blue eyes. "There's no meeting for today as of the weather. Frederick thought it best to delay your sword-training now, so took initiative to notify Lon'qu near 6:00 this morning." Waiting for me to calm down, he continued slowly, "I thought it best to meet here to discuss strategy, as this is the day we will be taking a much needed break. Sound good?"

"... Yes. Thanks, Chrom." I smiled back, pulling my belt tight around my waist, and attaching to it, the sheath of my sword. I had found Ragnell lodged in a large tree, about as wide as a Wyvern was long. The blade showed significant signs of wear, but it was still almost as lethal as it had been in the legendary Crimean stories. The blade could only be wielded by few, and luckily I happened to be among those few. Sheathing the sword and sitting down on my bed in my Myrmidon attire, I took a deep breath to cool myself down. It was then that I noticed that it was snowing outside. "Ah. I see why the meeting was postponed." I stated, gazing out at the thick layer of white snow.

"Yes, I had Frederick take measurements. As of this morning, about five feet of snow fell last night. A few of us downhill were snowed in and were forced to dig ourselves out. ... Well, not me of course, but you get the point." Chrom smiled, turning back to me with a placid face.

"Oh good– wait, what?" I frowned, tapping the carbon-colored hilt of Ragnell. "Snowed in? Like who?"

"Oh just a few. Like Gaius, Stahl, aaaaaand... There was one more... Can't think of him..." Chrom contemplated, tapping his chin with his finger.

"Anyways, you wanted to discuss strategy?" I asked, gesturing to the table on the far side of my tent.

"Ah! Kellam! ... I think that's who it was!" Chrom lit up, raising his hand in the air, as if he hadn't heard me at all. "Yes, anyway, we had to dig them out using all our available shovels. Decided against fire magic. Found that one out the hard way... You see, the snow would then turn to ice and–"

"Chrom! Did you want to meet or what?!" I asked, breaking his runaway train of thought. A very startled Chrom looked up immediately, and began to walk over to the table, with a large, outstretched map of the lower mountain range to the north. Tomorrow we made our march up to Regna Ferox to escort the Exalt Emmeryn to safety from the currently attacking Plegia. The scouts had reported military movement of Plegia in the mountain ranges, but the Shepherds hadn't paid much attention to it. They didn't seem a threat, but then when suspicious movement by Plegia's eastern division began approaching the border, they couldn't take a chance, and were desperate to deliver Emmeryn up to the safety of Ferox.

"As we had heard yesterday, our scouts have reported Plegian activity up here in the mountain range." Chrom explained, gesturing to different parts of the map. "We should probably be ready for any sort of surprise attack. Any suggestions?"

"Hmm..." I thought deeply, bringing a gloved hand to my chin. Studying the map again, I began to think of the advantages we might have, versus the advantage of their surprise. "I think we should be able to march with a few horses guarding the front, maybe Stahl and Sully... You and I should probably take Lissa up with us just to be sure, and Lon'qu and Gaius can flank us. Frederick would protect the leeward side of the pass, and Sumia and Ricken should be able to provide anti-Mage defense. The others can follow up behind, but be sure to stock everybody up with weapons and vulneraries. In case of an attack, Stahl and Frederick would then easily be able to provide primary defense against any such Wyverns or Pegasus that come through the peaks."

Chrom nodded as he looked intently at the map, trying to visualize the plan. "I like it. I suppose it would also make it more practical to be able to march with. The formation could stay, while providing an emergency defense in case of an ambush." He smiled, looking up at me with a hint of pride. "Your plans never cease to fail, my good friend. I have faith that Emm will soon be delivered to the safety of Ferox."

"Just pray we'll never have to use this defending plan. I wouldn't like for anybody to be caught off guard." I sighed, gazing back down at the map. "If they came in from here, however... We might just need to provide extra defense for our fliers. I think Kellam and Virion had best station themselves at this end of the formation. Virion would then be able to shoot any enemy flier out of the sky. It's probably the safest way to go."

Chrom again nodded, turning back to the map and beginning to roll it up. "This March May succeed yet! I never doubted you, Ae'dyn. You are a fine tactician and friend. Now! If you'd excuse me, I have a meeting with Frederick about politics. Ugh... Well, I shall see you later Ae'dyn!" Chrom turned to leave, waving a hand up to say good bye.

"See you around, Chrom." I smiled, giving him a friendly pat on the back. He trudged into the foggy white landscape, his blue hair tossing in the gentle wind as he vanished from sight. "Ugh... Why can't we march through grass? I'm sure it'd be much quicker if it were spring already..." I muttered as I slumped down onto my bed once more, trying to think out my plans for the day again.

Out of boredom, I unsheathed Ragnell. Metal on metal sounded out sharply as I pulled the legendary sword from my sheath. The broad blade seemed to glisten in the low light, the gold of the edge smoothly reflecting the slightest bit of day. I held it up to my face, examining the soft cracks along its broad tip. The hilt was a dark steel, aged over thousands of years to where it had turned to a deep carbon black color. I began recalling the ancient stories of the Radiant Hero, Ike, from another world who wielded this same blade. The people called him the Hero of the Blue Flame for his burning passion and hunger for justice. It was said that Ike had strength like none other, able to defeat thousands of foes at once single-handedly. The blade was heavy, taking impressive amounts of strength to lift with one hand, but when it met the flesh of an enemy, there would be no stopping it's lethally sharp edge.

Breaking me out of my trance, I heard loud footsteps crunching in the white snow outside my tent. I looked up with a start to see Lon'qu standing by the entrance to my tent. "Oh! H-Hello, Lon'qu... I heard training's postponed?" I asked, still trying to pry my thoughts away from trying to envision the legendary tale.

Lon'qu smirked, looking dazedly at Ragnell in my hands. "You are correct." He muttered, taking his eyes off of the blade to look outside. "I like the snow. Reminds me of home."

"Where's home?" I asked, then mentally smacked myself for saying that. I already had heard the answer billions of times.

"Ferox." Lon'qu answered, looking almost astonished at my question. He shifted his gaze, and looked worriedly in my direction. "Tired?" He waited for an answer, but I was lost in thought. "Me too." He nodded, looking back outside.

"Yeah..." I replied, noticing that I had been zoned out for the past few seconds. I shook my head, trying to focus again. Standing up, I walked over to the brown haired swordsman. He heard my steps, and turned to meet me.

"I have taken the initiative to move our training to tomorrow after the battle. I hope you don't mind?" He asked, not taking his eyes from the deep white fog.

"Not at all. It's good to have a break every once in a while. I just hope nothing happens tomorrow..." I muttered, giving him a pat on the back. He turned to look weirdly at me, then leaned back on the tent. "It's almost lunch... Do you want to head over to the mess hall?" I asked, brushing aside a stray turquoise fringe from my forehead.

"Yes." He answered, and began his walk to the left.

"Uh... Lon'qu..." I mumbled, and watched as the swordsman turned quickly to correct his course.

"This way." He smiled, now headed to the right of me. I smiled back, and began walking too, the chill of the cold winter air finally stinging my face like frozen needles. I closed my tent, and joined Lon'qu's side as we began to wonder what kind of warm soup was for lunch.

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The very next morning, the snow had disappeared. I awoke with ease, once again dressing into my Myrmidon attire. I grabbed Ragnell as I marched outside, feeling the embrace of the warm morning sun. Today we marched to Ferox to get Emmeryn to safety. "Please keep us safe..." I muttered towards the sky, continuing to walk forward towards the meeting tent. When I walked inside, Chrom was already sitting with Frederick and Lissa at the table standing inside.

Lissa turned quickly upon hearing the door open. "Good morning, Ae'dyn!" She smiled warmly, making me smile back. She turned to nod to Frederick who also muttered a soft greeting. Chrom then stood up, motioning for the other two to follow. Walking towards me, he laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Good morning, my friend. Glad the snow is gone." He smirked, walking to exit the tent behind me. We all walked outside the tent, now standing in a tranquil grass field. Lissa giggled at the breeze, letting it blow her pig-tails around softly.

As we rallied the troops for the march, I couldn't help but feel a sense of warning inside my mind. I turned back to Chrom, who was busy giving orders to Frederick, who turned and complied instantaneously. "Chrom, I have a bad feeling..." I muttered, meeting the deep blue eyes of the Ylissean prince.

"Don't worry. It'll all be fine. Very soon, we'll be in the safety of Ferox." He gave me a smile as we began to march away from our campsite. With the tents all packed up, it was once again just a quiet field, minus the clanking of armor and loud muttering of hundreds of Feroxi soldiers.

"I don't know... I can't quite put my finger on it. Something just feels amiss..." I looked upwards, as the wind seemed to shift quite suddenly. It was then that I spotted a lone Wyvern rider, gliding above our heads in circles as we traversed the rocky terrain. "Chrom...?" I tapped the prince's shoulder to get his attention. He looked up quickly, then spotting the Wyvern as well. He let out a slow mumble, watching it float like an eagle.

"Shepherds! Prepare for–" He began to yell, but was cut off by a large boulder tumbling down the mountainside. "Look out!" He yelled, motioning for everyone to get out of the way. The boulder landed with a loud smash, lodging itself between the base of the mountain and a large rock by the cliffs on the other side of us. We had been cut off from the Feroxi army, stuck only in our pre-planned defensive formation.

"Stahl! Frederick! Guard this mountain from fliers! Sully! Make sure nothing gets past them!" I yelled out orders, gesturing to the troops with rapid movements. I watched as the three knights charged to my left to follow my command. "Lon'qu! Gaius! Vaike! I need you to flank the knights, make sure nothing gets up behind them! I don't want any surprise attacks coming from those Plegians today!" The two swordsmen and the axeman ran to where I had commanded them to, poising themselves for the eminent battle. "Kellam! Sumia! Virion! Give me some air defense! Nothing flying gets past those cliffs! Lissa! Maribelle! Miriel! Ricken! Keep to the rear! Those Wyverns are weak to magic! Protect the healers! I don't want anyone to be left unassisted. Shepherds! Prepare for battle!" I shouted, bracing for the anticipated attack. This wasn't what I was hoping for, but it had to work to our advantage.

Loud war cries rose from the mountains as Plegian warriors began pouring down the side of the hill. As a raging Barbarian charged straight at me, I tried to look around to make sure we weren't in a tight spot. Swinging Ragnell in a wide arc, I leapt towards the marauder, plunging my sword deep into his torso. With a final cry, he fell limp on the rocky ground. Turning to my left, I saw Stahl being attacked from behind by a large Wyvern, rider swinging his axe wildly. I charged at the flying beast, slashing the side of the dragon with Ragnell. Jumping up in the air, I cut the rider in two, slashing at his armored ride.

"Thanks!" Stahl smiled, turning back to the mountain to rejoin Frederick.

Turning back to face Chrom, I realized that he was being attack on all sides by five mercenaries. I dashed at one, tackling him to the ground as Chrom's Falchion blade ripped through his shoulder. Quickly stumbling to my feet, I cut down another warrior, helping Chrom defeat the last few soldiers. With a slash to his right, Chrom caught the arm of another swordsman, who cried out in pain as he crumpled to the ground. I struck forward as I dodged an attack from the second Mercenary, slashing open his chest. Turning back to Chrom, I saw the last warrior cry out loud as he swung his axe in the air. I dove to cover Chrom, blocking the attack from the brigand with my blade, knocking his weapon from his hand. Chrom and I stabbed forward in unison, ending the Plegian's life with one swift stroke. I turned to nod to Chrom, who smiled back thankfully. We had gotten rid of the first wave, but more remained ahead, protecting an armed Wyvern rider General. I didn't hear a step, but out of nowhere I saw a lance strike towards me in the corner of my eye. "So this is how it ends then..." I thought to myself as the lance came rushing towards me. Then, a white blur ran across my sight, pushing me to the side. Red streaks flowed across the air like a crimson banner. As I hit the ground, I realized that the soldier who attacked me had a Javelin to the heart. I gasped as I tried to recall the assault. "S-Sumia?" I wondered, gazing up at the silhouette of a Pegasus above me.

Then I heard Phila, captain of the Pegasus knights in Ylisse utter a cry. She stood guarding Emmeryn, but her poise dropped when she saw the Pegasus. "I-Is that... My gosh... Cordelia?" She gasped in surprise.

"Cordelia?" I asked groggily, bewildered at what had just happened. Looking up again, I vaguely saw that the Pegasus was descending towards me. Laying back on the ground, I felt a searing pain shoot through my leg. I looked down to see an arrow protruding from my thigh.

Phila pretended not to notice my agony and answered my question. "Yes. She's one of my Pegasus knights. Young, yet capable... But if she's here... Oh no! Could it mean...?!" She cried in disbelief.

The Pegasus landed with a rush of air, touching down right next to me. Then a girl with long red hair, jumped down from the mount, running towards me. "A-Are you okay?!" She gasped as she stared, horrified, at the arrow in my leg.

I tried to utter an answer, but all that escaped my mouth was a muffled, "Ouch!"

The girl named Cordelia knelt down next to me, examining my leg quite awkwardly. "Okay... Hold on, I'm going to try to pull it out." She tensed up, straightening her back as she gently grabbed hold of the arrow.

"Nonononono!" I cried, stretching my arms out to try to stop her from moving it. "If you just wait just a–" PAAANG! The pain shot up my body, my mind screaming the whole time that I was for sure dead. I tried to reach for my leg, but grabbed onto whatever I could find. "OWWWWWWWW!" The cry rang out, echoing loudly through the pass. I winced as I tried to focus my sight from the white blur that doubled my vision through tears. I blinked a couple of times, trying to regain full control of my mind again. I groaned as the pain kept shooting throughout my body, surging violently up my spine. I looked incredulously up at the figure that had her hand on my quickly failing leg. "That... HURT..." I cried between clenched teeth. It was then that I realized that I had unconsciously grabbed hold of her arm. Quickly pulling my shaking hands away, I looked up into her face. She was smiling sympathetically, and was pressing a red towel up against my leg. I could tell that the towel was originally white however, as the corner was currently untouched.

"I'm sorry." She said gingerly, resting a hand on my shoulder. Then I heard footsteps scuffing the rocks behind me. I tilted my head to see, but began to feel nauseous. Then the footsteps stopped right beside me, and I saw Cordelia gaze up at the person. Whoever it was, he must've been pretty cute, because Cordelia blushed and became flustered as soon as she saw his face. Then I saw a flash of blue hair come towards me. At that moment I knew it was Chrom.

"Are you alright? What happened?" He asked incredulously, looking down at the wound in my leg.

"A-An arrow hit my leg... Went deep... Ugh..." I managed to mutter between surges of pain. Cordelia was now staring downward, as if avoiding eye contact, but I could still notice her crimson cheeks even though her red hair covered most of her face. I then began to wonder if the two had something going on that I didn't know about. Kind of upsetting, as I was clearly here first. ... What was I thinking? I asked myself as my thoughts began to randomly scatter from bouts of nausea.

"Looks seriously painful." Chrom sympathetically sighed. "Cordelia, take him to somewhere safe, I'll send Lissa over to care for him later. The battlefield isn't the place to safely mend him..."

"Y-Y-Yes, s-sir! I-I'll do that! Right a-away!" Cordelia stuttered, still staring dazedly at my leg. The footsteps faded off as Chrom returned to the battlefield.

"What was that all about?" I asked groggily. "It seems like he and you–" SMACK! My leg lit up in fire as Cordelia hit my wound to shut me up. "OWWW! .. What is wrong with you? ... Awwww..." I groaned, trying now to keep my eyes open.

"Never speak of that again! ... I need to get you back to safety. I hope you're not afraid of heights?" She smirked, trying to pull me to my feet. Carrying me in her arms, she climbed on her Pegasus, sitting me down behind her. "Hold on tight." She warned as she grabbed the reigns.

"I'll try..." I answered feebly. Hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around her waist, expecting a gentle lift off.

With a tug by Cordelia, the Pegasus took off, thrusting up in the air as we fled from the battlefield. I struggled to find my grip and clenched tighter onto her armored abdomen. Trying not to let out any signs of pain, I grimaced and my leg started pounding as the wind rushed up against it. I breathed quickly, trying to keep my eyes open. The pain kept surging up my whole body, and soon I heard a loud ringing. I tried to keep focused, but dark orbs started to cloud my vision. I finally let out a muffled groan, struggling to sense anything. THUMP! I hit my head on something painfully hard and I was out cold.

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**A/N: Well! That was a little bit... Sketchy... But hey! It's my first FanFic! Can't complain too much. I'll be updating this rather frequently, and I do apologize if the chapters start to get EXTREMELY long. I have a tendency to over-write. ****Like, a lot. **

**In case you didn't catch that, Ae'dyn is the name of the Avatar for this story. (Pronounced just like the name Aidan.) I'll try to make sure to keep this as Ae'dyn x CrimsonPegasusRider as I can... No guarantees what will spring up a bit later... Lol :D**

**Hey! Thanks for reading! Please make sure to review! Please, no hate. I hate hate. Thank you very much! :)**

**- Shadow**


	2. Chapter 2 - Lost in Safety

**Hello once again, friends! First off, I want to thank you, my readers. Over 200 views yesterday alone. And thank you for the one review. You all made my day yesterday! Literally! :) Anyway, more reviews would be nice. I'd like to know how I'm doing. Good or bad. As a wise young Pegasus Knight once said, "Flattery is all well and good, but we must know our faults if we want to grow." ...And... Well, that's that...**

**So without further ado, here is the slightly awaited second chapter. Enjoy!**

**-Shadow**

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"Come to me..." The voice beckoned once again, this time a wispy hand reaching out of the dark shroud towards me. "Please. Don't resist..." It called, seeming as if to lure me into a trap. "It's okay. You can wake up now." The voice turned slightly higher pitch. I tried to think, as it was quite confusing. Why try to tell me to awaken if your goal is to trap me...? The voice continued, and a soft patting repeatedly hit my chest. The fist then tightened, hurling towards me. It hit my chest, and I felt the wind knocked out of me as my body began to disintegrate. The cold air stung me like needles, grasping at me as if to take control of my heart. The breath left me cold, crying from pain and loneliness. I didn't want to die, yet here I was, the life being drawn from me like a sheet off a mattress. I gasped for air, feeling the warmth leave me to die, as I hit the hard black ground. "You... Are... Safe..." The voice hissed softly.

I awoke with a start, gasping for air. These nightmares kept getting worse and worse. I looked up feverishly, trying to adjust my eyes to the light that flooded my blurry vision. A blur of red, grey, and white clouded my sight. It was then that I realized that I wasn't where I thought I was. Looking down, my thoughts were confirmed as I watched the trees far below move by as if I were flying. Then I heard the flap of wings and the soft rasp of wind as it hit my face. Looking back up, I realized that I was still on the Pegasus, gripping tightly onto the crimson-haired rider in front of me. My head was resting on a particularly sharp piece of metal armor, laying fastened on Cordelia's shoulder. I quickly sat upright, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Oh! You're finally awake!" Cordelia smiled happily, turning her head slightly to look at me. Her long red hair flowed in the wind, brushing my face whenever it was swept over by the rushing air.

"It appears so... W-Why are we still flying?" I asked as I turned to look down again. A thick fog blanketed the forest below, allowing minuscule amounts of visibility for navigation.

"I can't find a safe place. I don't know where the enemy is, the rest of the Shepherds... Heck, I don't even know where we came from is." Cordelia grimaced, trying to lean forward to get a better view.

Then realizing that the girl who had saved me had never been introduced to me, I began to stutter an introduction. "My... My name..." I fumbled with the words. They seemed to hop down my throat as I was trying to force them out. Cordelia turned her head back, trying to hear me better.

"I'm sorry... Did you say something?" She asked, trying to meet my eyes from the corner of hers.

"W-Well... Yes... M-My..." I stammered, trying to at least fit my name in there somewhere. "My name is Ae'dyn." Whew. There I said it. I sighed to myself. "You're Cordelia, correct?" I asked after a short second of thought, leaning forward so that she could hear me better.

"Yes. I am Cordelia. I am a Pegasus knight of Ylisse." Cordelia yelled over the wind. "And... You are the infamous tactician that joined the Shepherds not too long ago, correct?"

"Yeah. Or... Something like that, I suppose." I smirked. I thought I sounded rather silly to myself, but it made her giggle, so I guess it was acceptable. "Your Pegasus is very handsome. What's his name?" I asked, trying a little too desperately to avoid another awkward silence.

"Her." She corrected, giving me a scolding gaze, hair thrashing across her face. "Her name is Caeda." She smiled as her face lightened up, and reached down to pet the Pegasus' white neck. Caeda? After the Hero-King's lover? Did she aspire to have a similar relationship with a certain man of royalty? It seemed the most logical explanation of the legendary name...

"Oh... My apologies. She is... Very pretty." I stated simply, averting my gaze from her flowing crimson hair, and looking out over the stormy landscape. As if reading my entire thought process, Cordelia spoke up again.

"Speaking of which... Are you one for romance?" She turned her gaze back to me, but waited for no response. "I'd love to learn about your love life, if you don't mind." A thin smile crossed her face, a pink tinge coloring her cheeks.

"B-But I just met you... Don't you think that's a thing... You know... Friends would share?" I answered, unaware of the pleading in her eyes.

"A-Are we not friends yet?" She inquired, then quickly realized what she had just said. "Uh... I mean... Please? Just to pass the time, of course..." She sighed, turning back to the reigns. "But of course, if you're uncomfortable with talking about that at this particular moment... I'll spare you the apparent grief." She sighed again, straightening up her back.

Regrettably, the awkward silence that I had worked so hard to avoid eventually fell upon us. The only thing that kept the sound was the constant flapping of Caeda's wings. Come on, think of something... I thought to myself, trying to lift the weight off of the situation. Why ARE we still flying? I mean, really. I wondered, looking back to the clearly concentrated Cordelia. The thought suddenly shot a chill up my spine. "Are we lost?" I asked incredulously, adjusting my grip on her waist. To my surprise, the girl turned around to face me, a solemn gaze blanketing her face.

"In a sense..." She turned back to the reigns, sighing deeply. "Yes we are." She then closed her eyes and tried to calm herself, taking a deep breath before continuing. "But I think it best for us to land somewhere in the forest befo–"

A sharp and sudden whizz cut her off mid-sentence. An arrow flew upwards, and grazed her cheek, leaving a thin red cut along the side of her face. She cried out in shock, bringing her hand up to gently dab the blood. More arrows zinged by, missing us by as little as a few centimeters. Throwing Caeda into a dive, Cordelia tried to steer clear of the lethal projectiles, invoking in me an urge to empty my bowels. Then an arrow caught the Pegasus on the wing, slicing through the white feathers like poking a needle through paper. Caeda let out a strained neigh, and began to fall quickly to the ground.

"Oh no!" Cordelia cried, trying to roll the Pegasus back onto her feet to cushion our fall. Seeing this as a failed attempt, and the trees rapidly approaching, she unhooked herself from the harness, twisting back to tackle me off the back of the falling winged horse. A loud thump followed as Caeda thudded down to the ground. Then in an instant, I felt a sharp sting cover my whole body as tree branches engulfed me. Closing my eyes, I prepared for the worst and clung tightly onto the armored body of Cordelia. Then, nothing but a soft thud and a giant splash of water followed. Now immersed in the cold river, I tried my best to grab hold of something. Whatever I could find. I found a rock, but it merely gave way to the current of the water. Desperately trying to surface, I lunged my self in the direction I thought was upwards.

My head spun with pain as I burst out of the frigid stream, gasping for a much needed breath of air. Opening my eyes, I grabbed at a tree beside the water, and held on for dear life. I heard a gentle splash as footsteps approached in a hurried manner. Then a hand reached out towards me, and I grasped it hastily. Working with the tug of the arm, I hoisted myself out of the cold river, feeling the warmth of the rich brown soil beneath my hands. I stood up quickly, feeling a head-rush as I stumbled to my feet. I looked up grimly, watching Cordelia pant beside me. We were both soaking wet from the river, and now lost without a ride. Cordelia's hair clung to her body, like a wet blanket covered her back, leading down towards the back of her knees.

"G-Great... Now we really A-ARE lost..." She sighed in-between gasps for air. Just then, a crunch of twigs beneath a few sets of feet broke the silence.

Drawing Ragnell, I straightened my back, readying for the evident fight. Cordelia bent down instantaneously and grabbed her steel lance from the ground. A small battle cry rose from our four Plegian attackers, who charged forward without hesitation. How the heck we were supposed to get out of this one, I did not know.

I charged forward, blocking an axe mid-swing, and using the warrior's momentum to push him past me. Turning with a swift stroke of my blade, I cleaved through the assailant's back. Twisting back around, I parried an oncoming slash from a Plegian Myrmidon. He recoiled, dodging my counter, and repositioning his blade. I dashed forward again, thrusting aside his sword with a wide stroke of Ragnell's blade. Now unarmed, the Myrmidon stood taken aback. Then from beside me, a lance struck forwards, impaling the swordsman with incredible speed. I glanced over to see Cordelia pull back the lance from the myrmidon's corpse. I then turned to see that the other two had been already taken down, each lying on the ground. Dead. I gazed up as I relaxed my muscles, straightening my back to look over at Cordelia once more. Something broke me out of my thoughts, and I realized then that I had been zoned out for a few seconds...

"... Out!" I heard a faint voice shouting out loud. What? I thought, confused. "Look out!" The voice called again, this time followed by a blow to my torso as I hit the ground quite suddenly. Breaking myself from the trance, I looked upwards, trying to regain my sense of direction. I could feel the embarrassed blush in my cheeks as I saw Cordelia lying flat on top of me as arrows whizzed by overhead.

"Could you not be more distracted?!" She yelled, trying to get my attention over the sound of attacking Plegian archers. She then stood up, yanking a javelin from its sheath on her back. Heaving the spear over her head, she flung it forward towards the enemies hiding in the bushes. With a loud thunk, the javelin landed in the heart of an archer just restringing his bow. That left three.

I jumped up, grabbing Ragnell off of the ground beside me. I lunged for Cordelia, slashing my sword in front of her. It met an arrow headed for her chest, cleaving it perfectly down the middle. The arrow landed with a soft crunch on the forest floor. Cordelia nodded her thanks, then wound up again to throw another javelin. This one landed on the archer's forehead, sending him sprawling backwards as he hit the ground for the last time. Two left.

I ran forward, taking advantage of the reloading archers to charge my own assault. I leapt across the river with a running jump, rolling to safety on the other side. I ended up right beside the enemy archer. He jumped back, dropping his bow as I struck my blade home. He fell limply at my feet. One left.

I looked carefully through the brush, trying to pick up any movement of the last remaining attacker. Then I heard another whizz of an arrow, followed by a loud shout of agony. "NO!" I cried leaping forward towards the defenseless Plegian. Bringing my sword down on the back of his shoulder, I ended his life with one swift stroke across the neck. Gasping for air, I sheathed Ragnell, and leapt back across the stream to aid my fallen comrade.

Cordelia groaned in pain, clutching the arrow that protruded from her side. I tried to think of what to do, falling to my knees beside her crumpled form. I reached down and ripped off a piece of my tunic, wrapping it in my left hand. "Okay... This might hurt..." I grimaced, wincing as I gently grasped the arrow. I gave a slight tug, and it came out easily. Thank God the archer didn't put too much power into the shot. I quickly moved the torn piece of clothing over her wound, applying soft pressure to her side.

"OWWW!" Cordelia cried, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. "HURT... Just a little!" She grimaced, biting her lip to help ease the pain.

"Sorry I couldn't stop the arrow..." I muttered, trying still to stop the bleeding with my makeshift towel. "I was so reckless..."

"No... It's okay. You did the right thing to do." She tried to force a smile, grabbing the wadded up cloth from me, and began applying the pressure herself. "I-I should have seen it..." Then after a short pause added, "Th-Thank you, Ae'dyn." She smiled up at me, forcing a thin smile.

"Will you be okay?" I asked, still grimacing. The pain in her eyes made it clear that she was suffering. How I was feeling now must have been how she felt when I was shot, I pondered. Then remembering my own wound, I began to feel nauseous, the adrenaline suddenly leaving my body. Resting my head quickly and thoughtlessly on the armored body in front of me, I collapsed unconscious into a dark, cold sleep.

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**A/N: I really hope I don't start to resort to blacking out at the end of each chapter... *SIIIIIIIIIIIGH*... I need some motivation here... I just decided to write this chapter out of boredom. Did you enjoy it? Please by all means, let me know! I could use some encouragement! Thanks! Next chapter will be... Dealing with some tender issues... *cough, cough*...**

**-Shadow**

**UPDATE: Just reached 250 views! Sweet! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Truth & Secrets

**As I've realized that these updates have become more sporadic than anything, I shall now confine myself to updating on the weekends and mid-week only. Yay! Now you get two PLANNED updates per week! Don't go throw a party out of genuine enthusiasm! Yay! :D We are approaching the planet called "1,000 Views", ladies and gentlemen! YAAAAAAY! Well, I'll stop my rambling, and let you read what you've obviously come here to read. Enjoy.**

**-Shadow**

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**I don't own Fire Emblem... blah, blah, blah... something about characters... blah, blah, blah... UGH! Enough with the BLAHS! ...TO THE STORY! xD**

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**Chapter Three - Truth & Secrets**

The wind rushed against my body as I tried to stay warm. The darkness seemed to engulf me, like being swallowed in a sea of shadows. Hesitantly, I brought myself to my feet. Strange... There's no voice this time. I thought to myself as I began to walk cautiously around. Then a voice called out to me from the shadows... But it wasn't the same voice as before.

"H-Hello? Is anyone there...?" A soft feminine voice rose from the dark backdrop. I squinted to see, and a faint outline of an armored girl with long hair emerged in front of me. "W-Who are you...?"

"Who... Who are you?" I asked, confused by the meaning of this. This was no nightmare... At least not yet... "Do I know you?"

"There you are... Why didn't you save me?" The voice echoed heavily through the black mist. Then out stepped the mysterious figure. The voice belonged to Cordelia, who now stood, inches from my own face. I looked into her piercing crimson eyes, sensing a hint of fear in them. "Why didn't you save... Me, Ae'dyn?" She asked again, moving in so close that I could feel her breath against my own face.

"I-I don't know how to answer that." I responded, still confused as to why she was in my dream. "I... I thought that you..." I stammered, trying to make sense of my words.

"Well then, Sir, you thought wrong." Cordelia answered dryly, still staring at me uncomfortably close. I'm sure that I was blushing up a storm right then, but it was too dark to ascertain. If my nose were half a centimeter longer, it would be touching hers right now; that's how close she stood to me. "And that's how it's going to end. You are wrong." Her voice turned almost inhuman, suddenly sounding very raspy and coarse.

"I-I'm sorry...? Did I miss something...?" I asked, still feeling rather awkward about the distance at which she insisted on standing at.

"You missed everything. You missed your chance. Your chance to do good. Your chance to live. Your chance to love. Your chance..." Her voice sounded upset, almost mocking me for failing to do... Something. "Your chance to save me... But it's too late now. I am dead, Sire. Because of you. Because of your failure." A sinister laugh echoed out in the darkness, as cracks of red began trickling across the landscape like veins. My pulse escalated, and I began to breathe fast. My head burst with pain as a severe migraine took control over my focus. I grunted as I tried to clutch my head with both hands. The laughter continued, sinister, as if marveling at my misery.

"Get... Out... Of my... HEAD!" I yelled, trying to break the excruciating throb that crashed constantly through my brain. The walls closed in, squeezing me on both sides so that I could barely move. "ENOUGH!" I cried, thrusting my arms out from my head, sending crackling bolts of lightning out into the darkness, shattering the walls like glass. Without thought, I drew Ragnell from its sheath, charging for the shadowy image. Lunging forward quickly, I thrust the blade forward into the body of the cackling shadow. The silhouette then reformed itself back into the shape of Cordelia, which made me falter to pull back the blade.

Red hair hung down softly from her head, swaying slightly with each strangled breath. Cordelia slowly looked up through tears, shooting a pain through my heart. Blood dripped from her mouth in spurts, landing softly onto the golden edge of Ragnell. Tears streamed down her face as she opened her mouth to say something, but restrained. Dropping my blade, I stepped forward to catch her fall. Landing softly in my arms, she looked up at me quietly, gasping for air as red from her nose and mouth covered her upper lip and chin. "I-I'm cold. So... alone... I don't want to... Die... C-C-Cold..." She cried softly through constant shivers. Her eyes sparkled, wet with tears as she tried to say something. "How... It... Ends..." She whispered painfully, coldly staring into my eyes, as if to reprimand me. "Will... Always... End... Because of you..."

Her hand dropped feverishly, falling down to rest on her stomach. With one final, cold tear, her eyes closed shut. The breath left her as she died helplessly in my arms. She was right: I... Had failed to save even her from myself. I shouted a cry of anger, yelling out into the darkness to let out my agony. She lay in my arms... Dead. Because of me. Dead... Because I failed. ... But... Why? Why... her?

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The loud patter of rain echoed continuously through my head. Straining to open my eyes, a grey blur streaked cross my vision. Tears were still cold and wet, rolled down my cheeks... Yawning? Or because of the nightmare? Was the first thing I thought. I blinked groggily, trying to see straight through the faint grey blur. Lifting me head slightly, I found that I was resting on something soft... Something... Oddly hard... Something... Breathing? I carefully turned my head upwards, to see Cordelia fast asleep, head resting on a large fallen log. Her crimson hair was tussled, somewhat roughed up from sleep. Her eyes remained sealed shut, and her breath was soft on my hair. I thought of slowly backing away, attempting to not wake her up. It was then that I realized that she had her arm around my shoulder. Great. What do I do? Lay here until she wakes up? I must admit, this was quite awkward. Then I heard the faint crackle of thunder. Perfect! Maybe that will wake her up!

I waited there, in her arms, for her to wake up. For only meeting her yesterday, this was quite the sensitive situation... A bright flash of lightning struck a nearby tree, sending a loud bang to go shooting through my body. My ears burst with pain and were excruciatingly numb, so I couldn't hear a thing. Straining to regain focus, I looked up eagerly, expecting the thunder to have woken her up. But when my eyes came up to her face, it remained unchanged. Yes, she was still sound asleep. How the heck? I mentally shouted. Darn... At this point, I'm never getting out of this hold. Not that I mind it much... But it still is awkward. OR... I could go with it and act like I was asleep. Maybe then she would wake up... I thought again, resting my head hesitantly back onto her hard breastplate. Now I just wait here for her to... Wake up... I suppose. What else was I going to do?

After what seemed like hours, she finally stirred. With a light moan, she adjusted her arm in her sleep. My expectant grin faded quickly, as I realized that her grip had fallen to my rib cage. She now gripped me under my armpit. Wonderful. I sighed softly, regrettably closing my eyes again. Then she moved once more, this time tossing her hair onto the side. And by the 'side' I meant me. Her hair fell like a soft red sheet over my face, covering me like a crimson blanket. Great. Just great. To make matters worse, a stray strand of hair had curled up and was tickling my nostril. Oh please no! No... I grimaced, trying desperately not to sneeze. No! Lord Jesus! Please help me... Don't... Sneeze! I tried to hold back the oncoming blast. Ugh... Dang it... I winced as I breathed in sharply. "ACHOOOOO!" The sneeze rang out, jolting my body up as I shuttered from the blow.

Cordelia moaned as she turned her head, hair finally out of my face. I breathed a sigh of relief... But that renewed hope didn't last long. She tiredly awoke, softly fluttering her eyes open. Yawning as she slowly looked around, she took a short look at her surroundings, which were drenched in the pouring rain. It was then that she regrettably noticed me. "Aaaaaaack!" She cried in surprise, jumping backwards. Boom! My head hit a big hard rock on the ground as she dropped me like a hot potato. I uttered a loud pain-filled grunt, moaning as I clutched my head, the headache now splitting through my brain. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I-I... What I mean to say is that... Uh... I didn't expect you... I mean I... Me... Ouch, that looked painful." She finally put her words in the right order, staring comically down at me, rolling on the soggy ground in agony.

"It's... It's okay..." I croaked, sitting up fuzzily. W-Which way is the sky? W-what's that infront of me? Oh... It's her... That's odd. The thought finally came to me, as I tried to regain my vision for the second time this morning.

Cordelia laughed in shock, crawled over and began cradling my head. "Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry!" Another giggle came out as she hugged my head, again, quite awkwardly. It seemed normal for her, but it always seemed awkward for me. I wonder why...? "Where does it hurt?" She asked, pulling me from her embrace. I pointed feverishly to my head, and she shot me a sympathetic stare. I pulled myself from her awkward hug, standing up groggily. I extended my hand down to her... But I realized quickly that she had already gotten up and was walking towards a random tree. Hitting myself in the head, I scolded myself for my current lack of wit. Then I realized what I had hit, and began to quickly regret it...

The perpetual drops of rain continued to pound onto the forest floor, and had now created a small flood. I began to trudge forward towards the large tree Cordelia had taken refuge under. Boots sloshing in the ankle-deep flood of water, I braced myself for the upcoming pounding of rain. As soon as I stepped out of the cover of the log, the rain smacked me continuously like millions of tiny hammers. I ran forward, squinting to see through the grey mist that surrounded the forest. Eagerly, I jumped in under the cover of the big, lush tree. The canopy was so thick, that it blocked out most, if not all of the downpour. I looked up to see the form of the red-haired girl, sitting motionless at the base of the trunk on a large, mossy log. Hesitantly, I made my way over to sit down next to her. Pulling my feet up out of the water, I jumped onto the make-shift bench beside Cordelia.

Brushing my hand through my turquoise hair, I breathed a heavy sigh, looking out over the drenched, misty landscape. "So... How's your life with the Shepherds?" Came the soft voice from beside me. I took a quick glance towards her, noticing that she was looking expectantly at me through the cover of a thick crimson fringe.

"Uh... Good, I suppose. I guess there's no other way to describe it..." I answered, gazing down at the pooling grey water at my feet. Green leaves and brown twigs scattered the puddle, leaving it with an almost swampy look.

"Oh?" Came the reply. She smiled softly, lifting her head up and straightening her back to lean up against the trunk of the acting-umbrella. "...Do go on!" She prodded, a sparkle hitting her dark eyes.

"Well... I'm not exactly accustomed to anything. I mean... Chrom found me in the middle of a field... With no memory, and a random gift for tactics. And all of a sudden, I'm thrown into an apparent war." I shrugged, looking up to avoid her gaze. "...And darn it, I still don't even know who I am!" Emotion mixed with confusion and sublimity rushed through me... Yet I didn't know why.

"I-It's okay!" Cordelia piped up, raising a hand to rest on my shoulder. "I'm sure you will eventually! You just have to... Meet up with something that just... Clicks. And it'll all come back!" She smiled, her wet red hair clinging tightly to her cheek. "And until then, I promise to help you as best as I can!"

"Promise?" I asked in shock, looking up to meet her gaze. After she nodded, I looked up again at the stormy scene. "Thank you, Cordelia." I smiled after a second of thought. "You're the first person that's ever been this understanding towards me. Thank you."

"Oh! You're most welcome, Sir!" Cordelia replied, taking her hand off my shoulder to pick at the moss growing on the log we sat on.

"To be honest, I've barely known you for less than a day, and yet..." I continued, stopping to make sure the words came out right. "...I feel like I've found a long-lost sister!"

"Me too! ... Well, as a sister-brother, thing, type... Goes..." She stammered, smiling brightly as she skimmed the water below with her boot.

"You're the first to ever listen to me... And affirm me. And for that, I want to say thank you again!" I added, leaning up against the broad trunk behind me. "...I think we're becoming... Friends..."

"R-Really? You truly think so...?" She asked, almost sounding surprised. "I-I guess I just grew so accustomed to not having any... Huh..."

"What?" I asked, intrigued by her sudden proclamation.

"Well... My Knight-sisters continually harassed me, and taunted me... I never really knew why. I guess they were jealous of my abilities from the start." She breathed a deep, heavy sigh, which I had come to know her for commonly doing. "'Little Lady Genius', they called me. They teased me so much, I... I never really had any true friends. Well, except for Sumia. We grew up together in the same neighborhood in Ylisse."

"Goodness! I-I didn't know y-you're friends with S-Sumia!" I stammered, folding my arms behind my head. "Well this is embarrassing..." I murmured beneath my breath. "I never would have guessed that members of the Pegasus Knights could be so... Spiteful. It's... Sad. I'm sorry, Cordelia... I wish I could change that for you."

"No matter. I'm doing just fine as it is..." She shrugged, staring dazedly off into the distance.

"Uh... It doesn't seem like it. Is... Is there anything else you're leaving out?" I asked slowly, looking back to her.

"Hey! Now that we're... Um... Friends, do you mind telling me about your love life?" She asked eagerly, almost jumping up and down as she turned to meet my gaze. I took a deep breath, running my hands through my light blue hair in submission. Burying my head into my hands from embarrassment, I gave a short, subtle reply.

"I do mind." I stated simply, regaining my composure, and turning back to meet her disappointed gaze. She looked as if she were about to cry, and her eyes watered up with emotion. Sighing again, I hung my head down in defeat. "Ugh... Fine! Just don't ask anything embarrassing!" Then added on, "And no more teary eyes!"

"YES!" She cried, hugging me in excitement. Seeing me cringe at the gesture, she slowly backed away. "S-Sorry... Didn't mean to disturb you." Her smile faded when she saw my disgruntled look.

"I-It's okay... I-I just... Uh... Am not very good around... Girls..." I replied, trying not to let any sort of blush of embarrassment fill my cheeks.

"Oh it's okay! Just think of me as your sister, and you'll be fine!" Cordelia said, wiping her fringe back from her eyes once again. "Now then! Where shall we start...?" She pondered, looking thoughtfully into the dark green canopy above us. "I know! Who do you have a crush on!" She smiled giddily, looking up into my eyes again.

"Straight for the throat, I see... Okay then... Well, I don't have a cru–" I began, but was interrupted.

"Of course you do! Everybody does!" She reasoned, blowing lightly to push aside another stray hair.

"Well... I don't really..." I repeated, flicking a turquoise bang out of my eyes.

"You must! Tell me now!" Cordelia's face turned serious, and she gave me a cold stare, so similar to the stare she gave me in my nightmare. The thought send shivers up my spine as I fought back the impeding emotions. "Ae'dyn... Come on! Please...?" She pouted, pleading me to reveal my 'crush'.

"Ugh... Well... I suppose... I kinda... Thought that..." I stammered between thought. The tension was too much for her and she quickly grabbed my arm and looked up at me with expectancy. "...I don't know... I guess that Sumia... is kinda cute... I mean... Pretty, and w-whatnot..." I blushed, scratching my head in embarrassment.

"AWWWWW!" She cried, blushing as she cupped her hands around her mouth. "That is... So cute how you said that!" She smiled brightly, turning back to face me one again. "... And... SUMIA?" Her smile faded, and was quickly replaced with a look of questioning.

"Well... Yeah, I suppose... She's been a friend to me for a long time... A-And I've realized that our friendship has become more than it was before... And I hope that doesn't sound awkward... But I-I find her to be... R-Rather pretty... A-And cute..." I grimaced, wanting to shrink away and become one with the tree. But that was impossible.

"My best friend... In love with my bro... Cute!" Cordelia giggled, clapping her hands together as she smiled at my newfound 'romance'. "...My turn?" She asked hesitantly.

"...I don't think 'in love' is the correct phrase..." I muttered under my breath. "Yes, I suppose that would only be fair." I smirked in reply to her question, turning to finally look at her face again, and attempting to regain my composure.

"Well..." She sighed, looking out into the rain once again. "I have had a crush on Chrom for... As long as I can remember. It was at his birthday ceremony back in Ylisstol a few years back... I was seven at the time. I played a harp solo for him... A-And t-that's when I realized t-that... He... I... Me... I had a crush on him. I think I must have played a little too long, than I was supposed to, because the sun had begun to set by the time I finished my song... A-And then I realized that everyone from Chrom to Stahl was staring at me. Ugh... It was mortifying. But all the same, I realize it's but a fantasy of mine." Then her face fell as quickly as iron dropped from a cliff. "It will never happen... He and I... Just aren't meant to be..." She sniffed quickly, sighing as she straightened her back. "And now, eleven years later, I still can't speak to the darn man without fainting!"

"Well! How do you know it wasn't meant to be? It could still..." I tried to reason, but was cut off by another cold stare that set me silent as a mouse. The look on her face clearly said "No." I dropped the topic at that, turning to avert my gaze from her heart-wrenching glare. "I wonder how we're supposed to meet up with the others...?" I quickly changed the topic, seeing as the rain had shown to signs of letting up.

"I have no clue..." Cordelia shifted her gaze to the falling leaves that landed with small splashes to the water below. "Hopefully they'll find us really soon... I'm cold..." She shivered, looking up at the branches above us.

"Uh... Well... I've got... Um..." I reached for my pack, but realized it was gone. "I HAD a blanket here, but it's not here anymore." I turned back to her, watching helplessly as she continued to shiver. I then contemplated what to do... Darn it all! I frowned, grabbing Cordelia and hugging her close. "This'll have to do."

"Oh! O-Okay..." She smiled in shock, resting her head on my shoulder. "My... That does feel a bit better. Thanks, bro." She grinned, looking up at me with her dark eyes sparkling.

"You're welcome, sis." I smiled to myself as I wrapped my arm around her carelessly. It felt good to have a friend I could trust. It didn't matter if she was a girl. At least I had a friend that I could call a sister.

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**A/N: **Fluff. There's only one word for it. Plain old fluff. I'm sorry for the lack of excitement. My mind is kinda full of fluff. As you can fluffily see. If I get any fluffy reviews about this chapter saying that it was too fluffing boring... I will find you. And I will kill you. ... ... ... Kidding. I won't. I'm not THAT fluffily cruel. Leave anything. SOMETHING. A criticism, a remark, an ENCOURAGEMENT! SOMETHING! ...Leave anything fluffy you want to. Candy would be most helpful. I have a flapping and wailing Gaius behind me because my cat just ripped a hole in his candy bag. ...Oh sorry. What's that, Gaius? You want more than just candy? ... Wow. Cakes too. The stakes have been raised, ladies and gentlemen! Gaius wants cakes... AND reviews full of candy! ... And now he wants MORE candy. And... MORE... candy... And. MORE. CAND–Gaius, go die in a hole.

Anyway, back from that fluffical episode of waffling. I just wanted to say that it really means a lot to me that you all are reading this. You made my day if you did. Literally. And I–NO! NONONONONONO! GAIUS DON'T ACTUALLY GO DIE IN A HOLE! IT WAS A METAPHOR! GET BACK HEEEEEEERE! NOOOO! ... Please excuse me while I stop the thief from stealing his life... That sounded odd... GOTTA GO! BYEEEEEEEEEEEE!

-Shadow

(*Runs off frantically, arms waving wildly* "GAIUS! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!")

**PS: FOLLOW this story! Favorites, people! Add this to your FAVORITES list! C'mon, keep up the enthusiasm! :D**


	4. Chapter 4 - Into the Fray

**I am truly sorry for the lack of promised updates. I've been busy with work of various kinds. Studying especially. I know you all have been wanting this update for a while, so now I present to you Chapter Four. Please remember to follow, favorite, and review. It helps a lot to know where I'm going wrong and where I'm going right. Thanks for your support!**

**-Shadow**

**Warning: Ye old ****disclaimer follows. ... Something about not owning Fire Emblem. Okay... Oh! Now here's something interesting. Ah! It says here that I don't own any of the characters except for the name of the avatar. Hmm. That's very interesting... Moving on... shall we? Let's dance! xD**

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I awoke groggily the next morning, nestled in a large bowl-shaped Y in the tree branches like a bird sleeping in its nest. Sitting up slowly, I let out a yawn, turning around to stretch my back. But when I did so, I caught an unpleasant glimpse of the back of a bare woman's body covered in flowing red hair...

"Geez, Cordelia!" I cried, turning immediately to hide my face in my hands. "You could let a guy know that you were bathing over there! I don't know not to look! Why didn't you conceal yourself?" I continued to yell to the girl by the river. The rain had ceased yesterday evening, and the ground had mostly dried up overnight.

"Sorry! I didn't know you were going to be awake soon!" She shouted back, trying not to move. "Anyways, I remembered something I should have told you a while ago..." She quickly reached down to grab her shirt, but missed and stumbled... And as she did so...

"Ugh!" I gasped, turning away again. Slamming my head down on my knees in front of me, I continued to avoid looking in her direction again. "Aaaand...?"

"And, I forgot to mention that the... Um..." She continued from behind me. Then I heard the light crunch of footsteps coming towards me, and a fully clothed Cordelia strode into view below me. "Brace yourself... The border fell to Plegia–"

"WHAT?!" I cried, leaping out from the tree. The height didn't seem to matter, and I hit the ground in a roll, landing with no injury.

Cordelia continued anyway. "–the day I flew in to the battlefield. King Gangrel led his forces against us... And my Knight-Sisters gave their lives so that I could flee... and warn you about the danger, and... A-and..."

"Let's get going then! Come on!" I yelled over my shoulder, back at the crimson-haired girl. I grabbed Ragnell from its sheath and swung in a quick arc, slicing the vine we had used to tie up our bag of vulneraries. Grabbing the sack from it's hiding spot, I turned to look for Cordelia, but realized that she had already put on her armor and grabbed her lance, ready for the march.

"Do you honestly think we'll be able to catch up?!" She asked, ruffling her hair to finish fixing it. "Won't we be a few days' march behind...?

"Unless we have a mount..." I stated quickly, looking through the brush for any signs of larger life. Speaking of which... "Where's Caeda? Is she still alive?" Then answering my own question, I turned for the site where we had crash-landed to the forest floor. "We'd better start looking for her."

"I'm not sure if she's dead... It was a very long fall... Even for a Pegasus. But she wouldn't be much use for flying, because her wing would be injured... Unless..." Cordelia thought out loud, beginning to follow closely behind me. We walked back into the forest, following the river where we fell into. We couldn't have went out to look for her because of the rain, but now that it had let up, we were trying, and if we did, her wings would be dry. After walking a few minutes into the forest, we came across a lush green meadow. There were wild apple trees and multiple holly bushes scattered throughout the plain... But no sign of a Pegasus...

"Hmm..." I pondered, gazing at a large clump of disturbed grass. Walking slowly towards it, I saw a white wing laying flat against the waist high grass. Eyes growing wider, I broke into the opening, gazing down on the sleeping Pegasus in front of me. Cordelia gasped in surprise, barging in front of me to embrace the winged beast. With a soft whinny, Caeda awoke upon hearing her master's voice. Slowly erecting herself onto her hooves, the Pegasus rose to greet us. Cordelia ran up and hugged Caeda's neck, tears of joy streaming down her face. Breaking the embrace, she dried her tears with her skirt, and walked over to inspect the animal's wounds. Holding up a feathered wing, she gently touched the puncture wound. Caeda seemed to have suffered tremendous amounts of bruising from the fall, but with enough apples to spare, was able to recover quickly.

"She's not too bad! She might be able to fly us!" Cordelia's eyes sparked in excitement. She then held up her hand quickly, "Vulnerary!" She exclaimed softly.

I reached into the sack, and pulled out a bottle, tossing it to her. She lifted the container to Caeda's mouth, and began to pour its contents down the animal's throat. "Those things work on Pegasi?" I asked incredulously, watching her drop the empty bottle into a pouch on her belt. She nodded simply, stroking Caeda's mane tenderly. A few seconds later, the horse neighed in pain as the Vulnerary began to do its job. Then the red-head walked over again to inspect the wound. A smile on her face told me that it had worked.

"Let's go! We've got an army to catch!" She exclaimed, hopping up into the Pegasus' saddle. I jumped up behind her, grabbing a firm hold of her waist as the Pegasus left the ground. Gaining altitude, the wind began to toss my hair around, also letting Cordelia's hair flow freely into my face. "Where do you think they'd be?!" She shouted over the rush of air.

I leaned forward, resting my chin on her shoulder. "Knowing milord, I'd think they'd make a quick stop at Regna Ferox to make a plan with the Khans. Our safest bet is to probably head west, and hope to intercept them on their way back to the Ylissean-Plegian border." I answered, trying to make myself audible over the flap of wings and the oncoming wind. The clouds hung just above us, and the forest floor lay far below, so far away that I vowed to never look down again from this altitude. Gripping tighter onto Cordelia, I sated myself for the rest of the flight, and began praying that we'd run into the Shepherds somewhere between here and the border. And it had to be soon...

* * *

About an hour from takeoff, we had flown near to the Plegian border. Vast, empty desert lay far below us as we continued to sail through the cloudless sky. Caeda had begun to show signs of exhaustion, as the Vulnerary had not fully healed her, but as she was, she might hold up until we found help.

"Man... The sun's hot today..." I sighed, wiping the hair out of my eyes, but it fell right back into place. "Except for being over a wasteland..."

"It's normally more... Cool and breezy this far up... Strange." Cordelia replied, still focused on the empty landscape in head of us. "That's the border. I wonder if they've already crossed?" She mused, leaning over the white neck of the Pegasus to get a batter view of the desert below.

"Not likely. It would have taken more than a day to continue the march to Ferox. Then another day to rally and begin to march back... They should get here tonight." I answered, wiping the sweat from my forehead. Cordelia had an amazing heat tolerance, as she hadn't broken a sweat yet. "Aren't you hot...? I mean, from the heat?"

"Hmm... Yes, I suppose I am, now that you mention it... Why?" She asked, turning her head to hear my reply.

"I'm sweating like a horse... Yet... You're not even affected by it?" I replied, rolling up my sleeves with my right hand.

"I guess not. I'm used to training in this type of heat. Pegasus Knights are always trained to tolerate any temperature on the battlefield." She adjusted herself on the saddle.

"That's... Cool, I guess." I let out a small smile, wishing for some dark, thick clouds right now. Or a light haze. Anything to lower the temperature...

"I'm going to fly north... Then I'll try to see if we can intercept them further up into the hills." She said as she pulled gently on the reigns, steering Caeda towards the direction she mentioned.

"Just hope those border guards didn't spot us... Plegia's known for their magical prowess..." I stated, scouring the land for any visible signs of activity.

"That would NOT be good for Caeda to be shot down again... I'm afraid that fall would be her last... Or ours..." She replied, patting the horse on her dirtied white shoulder.

"Do... You wanna fly lower then? We might not be as easy of a target for archers from lower to the ground..." I tried to reason, turning back to look up at her, but then something caught my eye. In a split second, I saw a group of warriors approaching from the north, a faint Ylissean emblem on their flag. To my left, I saw a flash of thunder ignite from a figure by the border we just passed. "Plegians!" I cried, gripping onto Cordelia. "Dive!"

Cordelia gasped in surprise, throwing the Pegasus into a fast dive. Thunder crackled above us, and a bolt if lightning came flying at us from the cloudless sky. Turning to look at the imminent danger, I lifted by head from scanning the desert floor. The electric bolt flew down from the sky, aimed right at the Pegasus' body. With a loud crackle, and the neigh of the horse, the bolt struck home... But ricocheted off of Caeda's armored body. Ducking to avoid being struck myself, I quickly recognized the magic. Arcthunder. It was tricky to dodge, yet was rather unpredictable. Pegasi like Caeda had much built up resistance towards magic like that... The only thing that could take down a flier was... "Wind magic! Darn it!" I yelled, gazing upon the streak of blue air that rushed towards us from the mages below. Nearing the ground, the Pegasus was prepared to land, but instead was thrown into a whirling kamikaze. The wind lifted the Pegasus straight out of the air, and hurled it towards the ground. Falling about 25 feet wasn't too bad... Unless you were a human. Cordelia and I hurled towards the ground, and time seemed to slow down as I tried to ready myself for impact. Closing my eyes, I expected the hard sand to meet my back like concrete.

But when I landed, it wasn't at all like I had thought. Gently, I was caught by something firm and strong... Like arms. Opening up my eyes, I saw Stahl looking over at me with a big grin on his face. "Gotcha!" He laughed, sitting me down on his horse behind him. Still thinking dazedly about the past few seconds, I smiled in relief.

"Thanks, man! That was close." I said, watching him move to put the horse into a gallop. The horse didn't move fast at all, finding it rather difficult to gain traction on the sand. "Where's Cordelia?" I asked, looking back to make sure the Plegian mages weren't in pursuit of us.

"She's over there. It's okay, Sumia caught her." He sighed, trying to urge his horse on. "It's a good thing the girl didn't trip this time." He kidded, smirking as he looked around for them. A sandstorm became to blow in from the east, and light clouds of sand began to limit our vision. A flap of wings, and a healthy Pegasus flew beside us.

"Got her! What's the plan?" Sumia asked Stahl, her light brown hair flowing gracefully to the side, crossing her face in the process. Her metallic white-pink armor caught the sun under cover of the sandstorm, glinting softly in the faint light.

"Take them both back! I'm stuck here... Can't move much." Stahl replied, raising his voice at the oncoming winds.

"W-What? But the Plegians are coming!" She cried in disbelief, turning around to aid us in fighting. "N-No, I'm staying here."

Stahl shot her a warning look, and she faltered. "I can take a few hits. I'll find Frederick, and we'll hold the line until the rest get here..."

"No! B-But..." Sumia stammered, trying to stand her ground. "You'll..."

"Ae'dyn, listen..." Cordelia urged, looking up from Sumia's Pegasus' back to try to reason with me.

"Just do it." I shot Sumia an equally cold glare, daring her to question me. I know it was a harsh thing to tell a pretty woman as hardy as her to do (especially when I had a crush on her...), but it had to be done. There was no way she and Cordelia could fight on just one Pegasus. Sumia sighed helplessly, closing her eyes in defeat. Tilting her head up towards the sky, her hair whipped around her face. "Now go! Before more mages arrive!" I added firmly. Without a word, the Pegasus took off, rising above the cloud of sand, and flying toward the rest of the Shepherds. Turning to Stahl, I hopped off the horse. "We've got this..."

He nodded in reply, smiling at my encouragement. Stahl and I had become excellent friends and almost invincible battle partners. He had known me to such an extent that he had even given me advice on everyday life numerous times before.

The shapes of the Plegian soldiers appeared vaguely in the sand, trudging towards us. Running as quickly as I could, I moved to intercept them. Stahl was right behind me, and the green-plated knight followed in step with his armored brown horse. Moving to strike the nearest Mage, I jumped forward, Ragnell meeting a shock of purple orbs. Slashing them aside, I strode forward to engage my foe. Opening the book to a different page, the sorcerer tried to utter a cry for help. He couldn't get another attack in, and decided to run from me... But instead he tripped and fell, impaled by my broad blade. Standing back up, I turned to look for the rest of our enemies.

Stahl was currently dueling with a spearman, attempting to parry his long-ranged strikes. I quickly leapt over to cover Stahl, who was about to be stabbed in the leg. Thrusting Ragnell forward, I blocked the attack, wrenching the soldier's lance from his hands. Taking advantage of the Plegian's defeat, Stahl swung Sol in a wide arc, reaching down from his mount to slice through the man's shoulder. Another down.

Turning to see of more followed, I glimpsed a flash of metal from above. Seeing the arrow flying towards me, my mind raced. "Ugh, not again!" I cried, realizing that it was too late to move. Then suddenly, a white blur ran by, taking the arrow with it. "NO!" I cried, rushing forward to see to my rescuer. "S-Sumia..." I muttered, jumping over the Pegasus' unresponsive body, as it lay limp on the sand.

"T-That was c-close..." She uttered, closing her eyes and wincing in pain. I then noticed that the arrow was protruding from her chest. "I-It doesn't... F-Feel g-good..." She whimpered feverishly, a single tear escaping from her eye.

"No! Darn it! I told you to stay at camp! Why didn't you..." I cried, then I began to feel a pang of guilt in my chest. "I-It's okay! I'm here..." I said as I knelt down next to the fallen Pegasus Knight. "You're not done yet! Fight it!" I cried as she opened her eyes painfully. Gazing down at the arrow, I saw that the sand below her was stained a horrible red, now pooling around her. "Oh, Jesus... Breathe, Sumia! Breathe! S-Stay with me, come on!"

"I-I... C-Can't... I-It's over..." She whispered through tears streaming down her face. "I-I'm so... C-Cold..." That line sent a shiver down my spine. This can't be happening! The nightmare can't come true with Sumia!

"No! Stay warm! Come on, Sumia! It's okay! I'm here! Stay... Alive... Please..." I began to cry, leaning down to brush the soft brown hair from her eyes. She lifted up her hand and grabbed hold of my arm as her chin began to quiver.

I turned to look over my shoulder. Stahl was fighting off three mercenaries, and Cordelia was busy throwing Javelins at nearby Mages aiming for Stahl. Then the archer that shot Sumia broke through the line, bow aimed at her again. "NOOOOOOOO!" I screamed, quickly grabbing Ragnell from the ground and violently hurling it with all my might at the killer. The blade struck, lodged in his chest, sending him careening backwards from the force of the blow. He fell limp just 10 feet from the dying Pegasus Knight.

Turning back to Sumia, I gripped her hand firmly. "Don't die! Sumia! Do you hear me?! Don't die!" I cried, watching her face as her eyes began to flutter closed. "Don't die, Sumia! Don't..." She gasped for air, her face beginning to pale. "CLERIC! I NEED A CLERIC!" Turning back to Sumia, I examined the arrow. It had flew straight into her chest, almost unimpeded by her armor, and striking her heart. "SUMIA!" I wailed, holding her cheek in desperation. I lay two fingers under her jaw to check her pulse. Nothing. ... Nothing at all. The color had left her, and she lay dead. Dead in my arms.

* * *

**A/N:** *SNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFF*... I do apologize for that, Crimson. I really do. I know you just want to kill me, but I... I'm sorry. And–OH NO! IT'S CHROM! NONONONONO! I'M SORRY FOR KILLING OFF YOUR WIFE, CHROM! DON'T KILL ME! NOOOOOOOOOOO! ... Oh wait. Why are you crying? Chrom? Are you okay? Why are you... hugging me? Oh geez, I didn't know you were such a softie. Aw... this is precious. I've gotta savor this moment. Shh... It's okay, Chrom. She rests in peace... Shhhh... My shirt is soaked with tears now... Thanks Chrom. That was good. Okay, you can go sympathize with Cordelia now. *watches him sulk off towards the door dejectedly* Oh no wait don't! That's Ae'dyn's role! NO! You're gonna wreck the story! Get back here, you overgrown teddy bear! No! And stop that wailing, you're gonna wake up the whole neighborhood! ... Excuse me while I stop Chrom from ruining my devious shipping plan. Hehe... :) *turns and leaves, running yet again at another oblivious character*

-Shadow

**PS: I want to say a HUGE "THANK YOU!" to Lux Aureus for giving me the most helpful advice ever. Your suggestions helped me rethink this so much that I got completely re-motivated! Lux's story, "Potentia Amoris" is the best I've ever read concerning M!AvatarXCordelia. Make sure to check that out as well! As for the rest of you all: If you would like to make suggestions on where this story is going, or if you'd like for me to change this up a bit, by all means, let me know. Make sure to favorite and follow, everyone! Reviews are forever helpful! Thanks! :D**


	5. Chapter 5 - Fire

Chapter Five - Fire

I knelt there, protecting the beautiful corpse, with sword in hand, for the next few minutes. My world was shattered. I had no way to escape it, and I didn't know what at all to do.

"Someone called for a cleric?!" I heard a soft voice from behind me. Through tears, I looked up at the figure standing above me. I didn't recognize her, but she had long blonde hair and wore a white armored robe, with an axe in a sheath on her back.

"Y-Yes... Though I fear it's too... late..." I as said such words, my hatred from them surge though my body. I didn't want to acknowledge the fact it was true. Sumia was gone, gone because she saved me. Gone because... I had failed... It was the nightmare of death all over again. This was the price of failure.

"Fear not, sire! For I am a priest, and I feel that she is not deceased yet!" The woman pulled forth a staff with a swirling blue orb at the top, resting it just over Sumia's heart. "Of course, the impeding object must be removed before any saving will be done..."

I reached forward and grabbed hold of the arrow, tugging to pull it out of her chest. It wouldn't come out. Time was in short supply and it was running out. There was only so much time to save her; after all she had already stopped functioning. I pulled harder, and it still wouldn't budge. Resting my left hand on her chest, I pushed her body down as I gave one final tug with my right hand. With a gut-wrenching crunch of flesh, the arrow came out, causing a new stream of blood to flow, the red liquid spurting all over my face and arm.

"Oh, most exalted Father..." The Priestess muttered, pressing a towel against her chest to suppress the blood pouring out. "Hold that..." She sighed, reaching again for her healing staff. "Now let go, if you'd please. Lord please let this work!" She brought the staff over Sumia's heart again, this time murmuring a soft prayer. The blue orb at the end of the stave glowed, a lighter mist flowing out of the sphere. The healing began its life saving process, but the only way for it to work was if she wasn't too damaged. If she was still slightly alive, then the healing would work. I reached forward, cradling Sumia's head in my lap, praying for the healing to work. "It is finished... If she alive we will know now..." The Priestess bowed her head, dropping the stave to the red sand. "God... Naga... Please... Your will... Amen." I heard her mutter but a few words before the prayer ended.

Come on, Sumia... Come on! I bit my lip, tears still rolling down my cheeks. Lord Jesus… Naga… Please hear me… Looking up towards the sky, I uttered an agreement to whatever the Priestess just prayed. Gazing back down to the limp body of my friend, I continued the prayer for a miracle. After what seemed like hours, the Priestess lifted her head. "If any work was to be done... I-It would have been done... I-I am sorry, sir. I… I'm so sorry..." She stood soberly, trying her best to muffle some of the obvious emotion.

"N-No… God no..." I whispered, stroking Sumia's brown hair one final time. Closing my eyes, I sighed as I prepared to leave my friend... But then I felt a hand reach over to hold back my arm. I looked up to see the Priestess, who motioned for me to stay a while. I glanced back down as the Priestess left me there... Crying as I held the body of one of my best friends.

Sumia had cared for me from day one. From lending me books to baking pies for both me and Chrom, she had always been a true friend that was always there for me. ...and now she was gone. I began to feel the tears welling up in my eyes again, as I thought about the memories of us. The good times we had and the bad times we shared with each other. All of this was stripped from me by Plegia. They will pay…I swear they WILL pay! I vowed this promise of retribution to myself, as I felt the cold tears streak down my cheeks.

It was then that I felt something move. With a hope that I dared that was false, I opened my eyes in disbelief. Was I dreaming?! I lifted her head with my hand, pulling her closer to me. Resting my hand over her mouth, I felt her slowly breathing through her nose. "No way!" I cried, gasping in excitement as she began to regain a slow, inconsistent pulse. It was a miracle! I couldn't believe it!

She blinked her eyes softly open, tears staining her cheeks as she let out a soft moan. "A-Ae...'dyn...?" She moaned, turning her head to look into my eyes.

"S-Sumia? Sumia, is that you?!" I cried with joy. Emotions started surging throughout my body, as my pulse accelerated. My friend wasn't dead! She was a alive!

"W-Where a-am I...?" She whispered, the color faintly returning to her cheeks. "Why... a-are you... I in you're..." She blinked softly, trying to regain her vision. I felt like jumping for joy at that moment, feeling suddenly a million pounds lighter. "I-Is that... you, Ae'dyn?"

"Yes, Sumia it's me! Y-You... I thought you died!" I tried to hold back tears of joy, as I looked down at her calming dark brown eyes. They were sparkling in the bright light of the desert. "But now... Y-You're alive! I-I don't know how it can be... It's a miracle!" I exclaimed, smiling widely at her. She smiled back, and tried to take in her surroundings.

Sumia braced as she tried to stand, she braced herself for movement. I pulled her back down, calmly trying to explain. "You need to take it easy. I don't want you tripping over anything at this point. You are extremely fragile, and it'll take some time for you to recover. I'll take it from here..." I said as I picked her up and began to walk back towards the Shepherds.

"Why did you... Why?" She murmured, gazing up at me. She was still delirious from her injury.

"You saved me from death. It's only natural for me to try to save you..." I avoided eye contact, and focused on not tripping in the hot, thick sand. "Well... I called for a cleric, and a nearby Priestess did the healing..."

"But you called for help... Why... Why for m-me? I-I'm not–" She began again, closing her eyes in drowsiness.

"Don't you even start to say that, Sumia! I know you don't think any of us care about you. But the truth is we all do. I, especially, do. You are one of my... best friends, Sumia! A friend that's always been there for me, and always puts a smile on my face when I see you. That's why I couldn't let you go." I answered softly, feeling a warm blush fill my cheeks. I looked down to meet her sparkling dark eyes.

Her cheeks flushed a bright red in embarrassment as well, and she let out a soft sigh. "That helps... Thank you, Ae'dyn... Thank you for being you." She smiled, closing her eyes again as she began to drift off to sleep.

"Good night, Sumia." I smiled back, watching quietly as her eyes closed in tiredness.

I trudged on, finally coming across a small camp. Noticing the Ylissean emblem on a banner towards the front, I began to walk into the mass of organized tents. Stumbling inside the infirmary, I laid Sumia down on a bed to the back of the room.

"Ae'dyn! You're here! That's amazing! I never thought I'd see you again! Why is there blood on your face...?! Well, what happened there?" Lissa asked in shock, looking over my shoulder as I rested her head on a pillow. "Is she... hurt?" The blonde girl with high pigtails inquired.

"She almost died. If it weren't for a lovely Priestess, she would be far gone. Sumia would have been nothing but a lump of blood and flesh in the middle of a desert." I sighed, backing up from the cot. I had to admit I was relieved to see Lissa, she always tried to make things…happy

Lissa raised an eyebrow in interest. "Whoa, that's incredible! Good thing she was nearby! That would have been devastating..." She sympathized, the smile fading from her lips as she uttered the last sentence. "A Priestess, huh? I wasn't aware that one joined the army." Lissa asked me in wonder.

"Yeah... She had long blonde hair with a white armored robe... Looked to be a Killer Axe on her back–" I explained but was cut off by a loud sound of realization coming from my younger companion.

"Ohhhhhhhh!" Lissa laughed, smiling from ear to ear in exasperation. "That's Libra. It may not seem like it, but SHE is a HE!" She corrected me, emphasizing the last word. "He joined our group after we made it across the Plegian desert. He has an undying faithfulness to Emm... And he... Well..." I wondered why Lissa looked really troubled now?

"Go on." I urged, expecting more from Lissa than what she had already shared. "Uh... M-My... Emmerynistobeexecutedtomorrow!" She blurted out the words, collapsing onto my shoulder. I didn't understand a thing she said, but she began to sob quite suddenly, and cried there for what seemed to be an eternity.

Breaking the silence, I stepped forward to look at the other patients in the room. Lissa sniffed a final time, wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "I-I'm sorry, Ae'dyn. I really need to get over the whole crying thing..." She explained as she too, looked at the other patients.

"No no! It's totally fine!" I smiled sympathetically, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm guessing that I'll need to come up with a strategy for Chrom–" Then I saw something, I really wish I didn't see.

Then my eyes crossed over a cot to the far side of the infirmary. The figure had a beautiful face, and red hair lay across her head like a crimson shawl. I gasped in surprise, hurrying over to get a closer look. "W-What happened to Cordelia?" I asked in shock, turning back to look to see if Lissa was following.

"Oh, you're traveling buddy?" She grinned brightly, turning to look at Cordelia's stiff form, lying in the bed. "She got hit with a throwing axe in the leg. It cut pretty deep, and almost cut off her whole side of her thigh... It was nasty, blood was everywhe–"

"Oookay! That's great to know, thanks Lissa. That's too much information, thank you." I smiled uneasily. "So did a staff do the trick?"

Lissa nodded eagerly, smiling in delight. "Yea... She's still unconscious though. She should be ready for action tomorrow. But right now she just needs some rest..." I nodded in response, turning to leave the tent before an excited voice called out to me. "Where are you going now?"

"Well, I need to thank Libra for saving Sumia's life and I should probably thank Stahl for bringing Corde–" I began but was once again cut off by the higher pitched voice of the princess of Ylisse.

"Oh, it wasn't Stahl. I-It was Lon'qu." She grinned sheepishly. "He brought her back because Frederick needed Stahl's help carrying her Pegasus back to camp. They dispatched all the Plegian border guards in hiding that we missed, mind you."

I gave a sigh of relief, and then I set off to find the two gentlemen. "Thanks for the info, Lissa! I'll see you at the mess hall for dinner." I nodded goodbye and she waved excitedly back, she quickly disappeared back into the infirmary tent. How...? Why...? Did Lon'qu... Do that? I wondered incredulously.

* * *

It was nearing sundown, and I had yet to find the two men I had sought out to find... Looking around, I tried to pick out a familiar face.

Upon seeing the knight in green armor with maple hair, I ran to meet him. "Hey Stahl!" I called out, dashing to intercept my friend on his way to the mess hall.

Stahl turned on hearing his name, and smiled when he saw me. "Hey, Ae'dyn it's nice to see you again!" He replied, giving me a soft salute. "Coming to dinner?" He asked, continuing his walk towards the food that was perpetually calling his name. "I'm really hungry... Haven't eaten in at least half an hour..."

"Well... I guess I could be headed that way. But more importantly, have you seen Lon'qu?" I asked, turning to look around at the camp to prove my point.

"Not recently... I saw him a while ago after that small skirmish. He might be over in the infirmary. That's the where I saw him walking to." Stahl shrugged, gazing back to the large white tent behind us.

"I just came from there a little bit ago..." I answered, deciding to change the subject. "On the other hand, have you seen Gaius? I have a favor to ask him."

"Yes, he was juuuuuust..." Stahl tried to reply, gazing at our surroundings for the thieving candy-addict. I guess he wasn't around here anymore?

Suddenly, an orange head popped into my view, cape flowing softly behind him. "Sup, Bubbles. You have need of your ol' friend Gaius?" He asked, twirling a lollipop on his hand. The dude was probably going to die of diabetes before the war got to him... he smirked, popping the candy in his mouth without hesitation.

"Gaius, we're about to eat!" I responded, staring in disbelief at his behavior. Rolling my eyes as he shrugged his reply, I continued on with my question. "Well, how good are you as a spy?"

"Hmm... I suppose it's not my strongest, but I'd give it a try. Why's that, Bubbles?" He asked, cocking his head to the side as he waited for my response.

"I need you to spy on someone for me." My voice dropped to a whisper, and Gaius leaned in closer. "You see that girl in the dark clothes and the Plegian robe?" At Gaius' nod, I continued, "She's been following me ever since I got back. Can you sneak around and make sure she's not up to no good?" I asked, turning my head to look the orange-haired man's expression.

"Can do, Bubbles! I'll make sure your stalker is stalked with much diligence. She shall not spy on you any longer!" He grinned eagerly. "...Of course, this operation begins after dinner, right?" He asked, trying to keep a light face.

"Sure, just don't take too long." I shrugged, turning my attention to Stahl, who was now mumbling something in between groans on agony. "Stahl...? You okay?"

"Yeah! What's up, Cowlick?" Gaius questioned, looking over to try to read into the knight's face. "What's eatin' ya?"

Stahl looked over with a grim expression, frowning on his new nickname. "It's not eating me! I'm not eating IT! Ugh!" He moaned, closing his eyes as we approached the mess hall.

"Say, Cowlick, what's with your constant need to eat?" Gaius prodded, still focusing on the distraught Cavalier.

"I'm hungry, okay? I always am! Don't know why, but I LOVE food!" Stahl paused for a second before continuing. "...Say, Tango, what's your obsession with candy all about?" He frowned, coining a new nickname for Gaius in return.

"T-T-Tango?!" Gaius exclaimed, clearly disapproving of his new title. "Now see here, you horse-loving, cow licking... glut! It's not candy! Its sweets! Correct words can make a man more correct!"

"Thanks for that startling revelation, O' great sage Gaius! Yet you failed to answer my question!" Stahl raised his voice, which was rare, especially around camp. Gaius remained quiet, content on not giving an answer. Then realizing that we were in the line for food, his attention snapped, and he began to sniff the air in a quick manner. "...Ugh. It smells... Like... Smells like rutabaga soup again. Not that I won't eat it, but it isn't the best thing this army cooks. Doesn't smell like Sumia's cooking, though..." He stated, still sniffing the air in anticipation.

The words rang out like a gong. I suddenly felt a pang through my heart as I recalled Sumia's incident. I remembered pulling the arrow out of her chest. The tear of flesh and the warm spat of blood on my face…the tears in my eyes as I sat in utter distress. I shivered, feeling my mouth begin to dry up. My nose began to run, and I quickly grabbed a seat in a table outside of the food line. Resting my head down between my knees, I closed my eyes as I tried to get the thought of tugging on the arrow, out of my mind.

Stahl and Gaius turned around to look at me, alarmed at my sudden posture. "Hey... Are you okay?" Stahl asked, grabbing my shoulder as he looked down at me through questioning eyes. "Ae'dyn?"

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Just a bit... Tired though..." I muttered as I tried to stay focused. Stahl nodded, and instantly returned to the line beside Gaius, leaving me to my own thoughts. Stumbling to my feet, I groggily made my way to my tent. Everybody I saw looked at me in concern, but none came to help me.

As soon as I'd made it about fifty paces away from the tent, I collapsed into darkness, feeling the cold engulf me like a blanket in reverse. Hitting the ground with a loud BOOM, I was out cold again, but at least I was with friends this time.

* * *

I awoke a second later, my head feeling very fuzzy and sore. W-Where am I? I asked myself, trying to look around. It appeared that I was back in the infirmary. However, this time in my own cot? Odd, I don't remember coming back here. Hastily, I tried to sit up. Feeling the blood rush to my head, it began to feel extremely painful. The splitting headache tore through my brain as I tried to focus on my surroundings. "Aaah... Ngh..." I winced at the migraine, trying to pick out elements that I recognized throughout the room. Then I saw a blonde girl in a dress run up to me, her high pigtails swaying as she strode across the room.

"Ae'dyn! Lie back down!" Lissa yelled, scolding me for sitting up so fast. I must have hit my head pretty hard, because it was at that moment that I realized I had gauze wrapped around my cranium.

"W-Why am I... Ngh... H-Here?" I asked, reluctantly flopping back down onto the bed. The headache eased slightly, but it still throbbed painfully. Gods, Lissa voice was so loud. It wasn't making anything better.

"You passed out by the mess hall, and Stahl brought you here. Apparently you hit the ground head-first... and kind of bashed up your head there." She replied, grimacing as she looked at my once-white bandages. "It was a mess trying to clean you up. You had gashes all over your forehead and a huge bruise from a rock on this side..." She continued, gesturing to my head as she articulated my condition.

"Um... Thanks?" I winced, gritting my teeth as the pain swelled again. "W-Where's Stahl? Did I miss dinner?" I asked, looking around as best as I could without moving my head.

"He went to go eat, once I made sure you were okay. My staff is broken, so I sent Maribelle to get me another one..." Lissa shrugged. "I got you some dinner, though!" She smiled as she held up a bowl of... Rutabaga soup... Ugh… My favorite.

I sighed gently as I forced a smile. "Thanks, Lissa!" I tried to cheerfully reply. "Do you know who made dinner today? I-It smells...d-divine!" I added sarcastically, though trying my best not to let it show. Lissa smiled again as she handed the bowl to me, then retracted it, smile quickly fading. "What's wrong?" Oh, gods this is going to be something from Sumia's novels isn't it?

"Well... You can't sit up to eat. Not until I fix your noggin. So, someone's going to have to feed you." Lissa shrugged, looking around the room to prove her point. "Our master chef was Maribelle with the assistance of Lon'qu. He peeled the potatoes." She smirked, turning her gaze back to me.

"M-Maribelle? I would have thought that she would have made something more–" I began, but regained my train of thought. "I-I mean, wouldn't she have prepared something more... I don't know... Fancy? Maybe even tasti– Um... more noble?" I asked, looking regretfully at the bowl of soup in Lissa's hands. Oh, gods this is going to be horrible isn't it? Why do I hear footsteps?

"What did you say about MY soup?" It came from a soft, elegant voice from the other side of the tent. Oh. Crap. I instantly recognized the voice as Maribelle herself. "It's lovely, I assure you, Ae'dyn. Now remember your rightful place! The soup is there as a way of putting food in your stomach, and therefore energy in your body! It is not something to be taken lightly!" Maribelle scolded, and I heard her footsteps getting closer as she walked up to my cot. Maribelle was a noble who couldn't stand anything common. Her hair was blonde like Lissa's, but it was curled heavily at the ends, and she tied it up with big pink bows. She had tried to teach me multiple times about etiquette. But I became bored somewhere around half-way, and usually dozed off. Then I would wake up to her usual ranting about me not paying attention. She wasn't the most fun person to be around, but she was definitely the most routinely meticulous. There was no other word for it.

"I-It's not the soup!" I stammered, looking for the right wording. "It's that I never thought you to cook... Rutabaga..."

Maribelle gasped in shock. "I am offended! Rutabaga is simply the most divine food you find anywhere in this blasted world! I'll have you know I... I..." She trailed off, turning suddenly to Lissa. "Here is your staff, Milady. Do use it well and smack some sense into this low-class buffoon while you're at it!" She snorted as she huffed off, yanking her pink umbrella open as she walked quickly outside.

Lissa shook her head. "That girl..." She sighed, turning to set my soup on a nearby table. "Sometimes I don't know what to do with her..." She smirked, turning back to me as she readied the staff. Reaching forward, she unwrap my bandages around my forehead. "This shouldn't hurt...much" She stated as she cleared away the last wrap of gauze from my head. "Though the headache MIGHT increase... slightly." She waved the stave over my head, muttering a prayer as the orb on the end of the staff glowed a bright blue. Green mist fogged my vision as I felt the recover working.

Closing my eyes, I felt a strong sting through my entire brain, feeling as if I was being slashed by a dozen sharp swords at once. I gritted my teeth, bracing myself as my headache increased, and the pain shot down my spine. "Aaaaaaaa..." I groaned, clenching my teeth as the staff ran its course. I felt myself breaking into a sweat as the mist coldly descended on my like a blanket of vapor. Then the pain stopped, and I found myself gasping for air, turning painfully to my side to watch Lissa.

She pulled back the stave, holding it firmly behind her back. "Now! How do you feel?" She grinned, looking expectantly down at me.

I turned to look upwards, smirking as best as I could. "... Better I suppose..." came my answer. I slowly sat up, now taking a clear look at my surroundings. Gazing at the other cots, I saw Cordelia and Sumia still unconscious, in the exact position I had left them in. Then I turned to see Stahl by the tent entrance. I smiled at him brightly, swinging my legs over as if to get up and greet him. "Stahl! How was dinner?"

"Oh... Okay, I suppose. The talk was excellent." He grinned, surprisingly not talking about the food. "And the... Uh... Soup was not exactly good. But it'll do!" He said as he gazed off into the room. "Lon'qu wants to meet with you and me. He said we need to continue our sword practice since we haven't had time ever since you disappeared back in the mountains."

"Alright I'm coming!" I answered, jumping to my feet and stumbling forward. Taking a quick glance at the soup Lissa had gotten me, I was glad she wasn't making me eat it. It looked like a yellow, liquidly substance, mixed with chunks of potatoes, pink blobs, and orange specks of carrots. I was glad I didn't have to taste how bad it was, as it looked appalling...

"Oh no, do you think I let you go? Get back here!" Lissa shouted at me as I was almost to the door. "You need to eat your dinner!" She snapped, pointing for me to sit down again. Sighing deeply, I groaned and turned back to the small girl holding my bowl. Just when I thought I had escaped fate...

* * *

Thick, transparent, lukewarm broth trickled down my throat as I downed the last few spoonful of the soup. Chunks of potato, overcooked rutabaga, and some form of pale mushroom filled my mouth. Slurping down the last gulp of my dinner, I swallowed quickly, trying to restrain myself from grimacing at the unpleasant texture. One thing was for sure: Maribelle had no idea what kind of broth she put in there, or how to prepare this kind of –Mushrooms– If that was what they were. Rutabaga was obviously not her best thing at preparing, though she claimed otherwise.

"Okay!" Lissa grinned, standing over me like a younger mother. "Now you can go, I suppose. If you have any problems, come straight back here, you hear?" She asked, a slight frown crossing her face as she stared at me with expectancy.

I raised an eyebrow and began to stand up as I have my reply. "Well... Okay but I–"

"YOU HEAR?" Lissa asked again, this time raising my voice in annoyance. "No buts, Ae'dyn! You aren't getting hurt again, mister!"

"Y-Yes, Lissa." I answered reluctantly. I heard her murmur something under her breath, but decided to ignore it. Standing upright, I walked over to Stahl who was still standing in silence by the entrance to the tent. "And..." I began, turning to look back at the blonde haired girl, who was now standing over a deathly unconscious Sumia. "...Thank you, Lissa; for all your help and care."

"Don't mention it! Now be off!" Lissa turned after a second and waved her hands to shoo me away. She muttered something else, and tugged lightly on her pigtails in clear annoyance.

Turning to Stahl, we departed the tent and began to walk towards the training arena. "So what did I miss while I was lost?" I asked, looking up at the brown haired Paladin through a fringe of turquoise hair. "You know in the mountains?"

Stahl began hesitantly, opening his mouth to say something, but quickly suppressing the thought. He looked over at me in concern, a forlorn look in his eyes. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Nodding my head, I couldn't help but feel confused. "W-What do you mean?" Looking back down to the cobblestone path in front of me, and watching my boots scuff the rocks below.

"Well... I suppose the biggest thing that happened is that Emmeryn returned to the capital. We– Uh... Chrom tried to stop her, but she went anyway. The people need her..." He looked down at the ground. Then clearing his throat, he turned back up to look at me. "It was when we made the connecting march north that we found out from the ruler of Ferox, Khan Basilio that... ." His voice caught in his throat, and he dreamily gazed off in the direction of the snow-capped mountains in the mist. "... The Exalt is to be executed tomorrow."

"H-How?" I asked feverishly. Emotion filled my mind as I tried to continue walking. "All my memories of life and all..." I muttered, feeling quite depressed, if Ylisse was to be destroyed... What then? What was I to do...?

"Gangrel breached the border, and set up archers around the walls. Every Pegasus knight that tried to defend... Was shot down..." Stahl continued. "We found out from Phila that she had her knights hold the border just in case and they straggled to put up any defense anyway. They were slaughter in doves."

"So... When do we reach the border? Am I to come up with a strategy? Does Chrom need me, or are we marching into this blindly?" I asked, my thoughts pouring out of my mouth like a waterfall.

"Chrom needs you. He needs all of us." He looked up at me with a stern look on his face. His eyebrows furrowed with a hint of malice, and he sighed deeply as he began again. "Chrom doesn't care about a plan. He just wants to save Emm. But we can't afford to run into this blindly. Frederick told me that he needs to meet with you in the strategy tent in a few hours. I think he said around eight o'clock..."

"Oh, fun..." I remarked sarcastically. If I failed this task... I would fail Chrom... I would fail the Shepherds... I would fail Ylisse. Straightening my back, I realized we were almost at the arena. Sighing, I turned to look back at Stahl. "...And the border?"

At that, Stahl turned and looked me dead in the eye. Eyes wide, he stared into mine, halting our walk. Opening his mouth slowly, he closed his eyes. The situation had just become complicated; and four words escaped his mouth. Four words I will never forget…

"There is no border."

* * *

**A/N: **_So there we have it. The prelude to how we get back on track to the game. I'm sorry for those of you who actually enjoyed Sumia's death. I felt bad, and there was a way to make it up. If you sick-minded people want death, trust me, you'll get plenty of death in the coming chapters. I look forward to all your reviews! It __really makes my day when someone leaves one! Whether criticism, good or bad, I'll take it with enthusiasm, and use it all as an opportunity to grow! Thanks once again!_


	6. Chapter 6 - Dilemmas

Chapter Six - Dilemmas

* * *

"Hyaaaa!" A shout rang out, silver blade streaking towards me at blinding speed. Hurriedly, I raised my sword in an attempt to parry the assault, but I lost grip, and the sword clattered to the ground as it left my gloved hands. Staring dazedly down at the ground, I tried to recall the last half-second. Looking back up, I met the eyes of the dark-brown haired swordsman. He wore a soft smirk as he looked pitifully at me.

"Well then..." I mumbled, heading to walk towards the bench on the side of the arena. Stahl was up next...

"No." Came the deep voice from beside of me. Lon'qu bent down and picked up my sword, throwing it into the air to catch it by the hilt. Holding it out for me to take, and regained his poise. "Try again."

I studied the sword for a moment. It was silver, a bit thicker than most swords, and had dark blue steel frame on the inside that showed in between the two sides of the blade, which eventually joined back into the tip of the blade. From what the blacksmith had said, it was called a Brave Sword. Hesitantly taking the blue-hilted sword from his hand, I raised the blade towards my shoulder, bracing myself for another bout. The weapon was much lighter than most, allowing quick and numerous strikes, but therefore lacked in power because there was little forceful weight to the blade itself.

"En garde." I smirked, daring Lon'qu to strike first. Rolling his eyes, the Myrmidon lunged forward, closing the distance between us in a split-second. Dodging to the side, I raised the sword, slashing out at my attacker.

_Sword met air. Counter to the right... Air again._

_Dodge a wide arc to the left. Parry his secondary blow... Envy his incredible speed._

_Slash out into the air again, connecting with his blade. Slide to behind. Twirl. Slash in a low arc. Sidestep from an incoming vertical slash._

_Stab forward, lean to dodge counter. Twirl sword back in hand. Strike backhand, block his stab. Turn to reposition, strike again._

_Lunge forward, target chest. Narrow miss, hits armor, doesn't affect opponent. Slice to the right, retract and stab to the left. Duck from a high blow, thrust sword into his own._

_Stand up, leap forward. Slam sword into chest... Meet block by his own sword. Twirl to evade a well placed counter. Slice to arm. Circle wide to avoid impending attack. Lunge to avoid counter. Jump to force him back, bring sword down into his own. Push back, slice again. Hit shoulder, keep on with assault. Twist to the right. Stab to the left. Slice the air from left to right. Circle to left, block his failed attempt at attacking. Step forward and–_

My thoughts were broken up by the loud and startling sound of metal on metal. Lon'qu grunted as he lunged towards me, sword flailing high to lock with mine. In a desperate attempt to parry his onslaught, I pushed back, but nothing gave way so I twisted to the side and broke free… Only to receive a deep slice to the ribs. Knees hit the cold arena ground as I collapsed in defeat.

Sheathing his thinly curved red sword, Lon'qu turned to face me again. He held out his hand to help me up, with a small grin. "Well done. You've potential." As curt as ever. I thought, grasping his hand as I was pulled back to my feet.

The cut stung and my tunic was now stained in cold red liquid. The cool night air swept around me like a light blanket, blowing the turquoise, sweat-soaked hair out of my eyes. Stumbling over to the bench, I panted as I gave Stahl a lethargic high five. He smiled in reply, nodding his approval. "...Nicely done! You almost had him too..."

"He... Had me... Beat from the... Start." I said in between gasps for air. Turning to face him, I managed to smile through the striking pain. I clapped Stahl on the back as Lon'qu grabbed another sword from its sheath. "...Your turn." I let out a soft laugh, trying to do so without panting. Stahl moaned slightly, then reluctantly stood upright, marching over towards our sword instructor. Smiling to myself, I wiped the sweat from my forehead using my loose blue sleeve. If only Stahl had half the speed of that cat. I thought as I watched Lon'qu toss a shaking Stahl another steel sword.

Suddenly, a soft voice interrupted my thoughts. "Having fun?" Said the all-too-familiar feminine voice. Turning to look up at the brown haired girl standing above me, I brushed my fringe out of my eyes... But it went right back. Not caring, and looking back up into the girl's face, I tried to figure out who it was in this low torch-lit lighting.

"Sumia." I smiled warmly. "I'm trying. How about you? Are you recovering well?" I asked in reply, seeing a faint smirk cross her face as well. She sat down beside me and gazed out at the arena to observe the two sparring men. By the looks of it, Stahl was in a bit of a pickle...

"Good... Still get a few pains in my chest from being shot, but... other than that I'm doing you!" She stopped mid-sentence and realized her mistake. "I mean me! W-Wait! No... I-I mean... W-Well this is awkward... Ugh! I-I'm doing great! Thanks for asking!" She stammered, closing her eyes tightly as she mentally scolded herself. Suddenly, she winced, and let out a cry. Doubling over, she clutched at her chest in pain.

"Good heavens, Sumia! Are you okay?" I asked in surprise. "I-It's that bad...? If you want, I can–" My words stuck in my throat as I remembered the crunching of flesh as I yanked out the arrow from deep in her chest. I cringed as I felt the blood splatter onto my face as if I was reliving it. I groaned as I opened my eyes, trying my best to get the horrible sound out of my ears. It seemed to constantly echo like a haunting memory. "C-Can..."

"I-I'm fine... J-Just another pain burst... I'm okay." She forced a smile and sat back up. But when she noticed the painful expression on my face, her smile quickly faded. "Ae'dyn... What's wrong with you?"

"N-Nothing... I-I'm just..." I fumbled with the words, trying to snap myself from the horrid scene. "Ugh... It hurt... The arrow... S-Sumia..." I shivered, averting my gaze from her pretty face. It hurt to even look in her direction in moments like these. "I-I'm... Sorry..." I cried softly, wanting to retreat back to my tent in fear of that terrifying memory.

"It's okay. I-I'm here. You're okay." Sumia tried to calm me down, but those words had been the same that I had used... I choked back tears at her voice… "But I'm sorry, I need to go. I need to tend to my pegasus. Uh…" She got up and looked over her shoulder at me, smiling nervously. "Bye!"

I sulked in defeat. _Was I ever going to get past this?_

...

* * *

...

"Ae'dyn!"

The voice rang in my head. Where was I? It was a light fog… and I couldn't see what was happening. Was I dreaming–?

Suddenly, my body shook violently. "AE'DYN!" I snapped awake, eyes flying open as firm hands grabbed me like a pair of vice grips. "WAKE UP!" Chrom yelled as he was standing above me, shaking the daylights out of my poor body.

"I'm up! I'm up!" I groaned. I guess I had fallen asleep on that bench… Chrom stopped shaking me, and proceeded to drag me right off of the bench. "OW! What the heck, Chrom?" I shouted as my head smacked the stone floor of the arena. Pain shot through my head, and I could barely focus.

"Emmeryn's going to be dead! You can't afford to sleep in!" Chrom replied, walking towards the camp, which meant dragging me over rocks and dirt.

"Okay! I get it, just let me go!" I wailed, feeling the grass attempting to burn through my pants. Chrom plopped me down, and I scrambled to my feet. "Naga!" I muttered, straightening my tunic. "Why the rush?" I asked, walking after Chrom, tucking my tunic into the sash around my waist.

"According to Flavia, Gangrel is going to execute my sister this morning!" Chrom replied briskly, not bothering to look back. "The camp's almost packed up, and here you are… Sleeping in for Naga's sake!"

"Can a man not have a decent night's sleep for once in his life?" I moaned, finishing dusting myself off. Camp was in sight, but all of our tents had been packed away into the caravan already.

"When someone dear to me is about to die…" Chrom looked over his shoulder, but didn't glance at me. "No."

"Well, do we have a plan?" I asked, laughing nervously.

"Did you not hear yesterday?!" Chrom asked incredulously, still walking fast. "Frederick wanted to meet with you before the crack of dawn! We need a plan!" He turned to face me finally, obviously upset. "We need a tactician! And yet you sleep in."

"I'm sorry, Chrom. I messed up. I'll come up with a strategy on the way there!" I said quickly.

"No, I need you to help with the caravan first. Once we're on the road, you can plan." Chrom walked away towards Frederick, leaving me standing by the smoldering bonfire, which had just been put out. I shook my head, turning to help Miriel with the caravan.

"Oh, Ae'dyn. A pleasure." Miriel said monotonously. "I have no current need of your assistance, but your tent is at the rear, so if you would approve, we can set it up here."

"Okay. I'll go grab that then. Thanks, Miriel." I nodded, then ran back to grab my rolled up tent from the ground. It was the only thing yet to be placed on the caravan. I hauled it back over to the wagon where Miriel had been, then set it down inside, next to some others.

"Fascinating." I heard a voice come from behind me. I turned in surprise to see who it was, but saw no one but Miriel, looking down at a book she was holding. "It took you over fifteen seconds to grab your tent. An average human being takes no more than twelve seconds. Are you feeling alright, might I inquire?" She asked.

I closed my eyes in mild amusement, turning to walk along with the rest of the Shepherds, who had started to advance forward. "I'm fine, Miriel. Just tired." I muttered in reply. Then I ran off towards the rest of the marching soldiers, leaving her standing awestruck in my dust.

I pulled a bag out of one wagon, looking through it to find a book. Once I found it after much digging, I pulled it out, pushing the rest of the bag into place. I flipped open the first few pages of the strategy book. Reading carefully as I continued to walk in time with the rest of the army, I skimmed over the pages, trying to formulate a strategy to help save the Exalt.

_...The key to success is not always obvious. Look to advantages in the enemy to help formulate a plan for yourself. Whatever weakness made available will always work to your advantage._

_Should the enemy see this in you, prepare for your own weakness to be exploited. If necessary, brute force will rout the enemy's morale. Soon the only men on the field will be yours. The strategies that follow will be exemplified in order._

_Skimming over the next few pages, I tried to find something useful for our current situation. Then my eyes fell on something that seemed to hit me like a punch below the waist._

_...The winning strategy concedes self-sacrifice. It is up to you to make the sacrifice play._

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. Dear God... Naga, what are you trying to tell me...? I sighed and began to read again.

_Though, should you happen to run into–_

"Ae'dyn–!" Thump! My head and shoulder smashed into something metallic, and the book collapsed in my hands. Something fell quite loudly, and I instantly looked up to see Cordelia on the ground in front of me.

Gazing at her in shock, I reached out my hand to help her up. She smiled wryly, gripping on and returned to her feet. "I'm so sorry about that..." I said in apology, looking up into her crimson eyes to find something that revealed... anything.

"It's fine! I've had worse falls." She replied, dusting herself off as her hair blew softly in the breeze. I stood mesmerized by her form, for some reason was unable to take my eyes off of her. Shaking my head I turned away right as she looked over at me. "Well come on! Keep walking!" She grinned, taking my hand and leading me forward. Once I caught up to her side, she began to talk softly. "So... Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" She asked, repositioning her shoulder pad as we walked side-by-side through the sand.

"Well... I'm fed up with life for a while." I answered grimly. She looked over at me in confusion, tilting her head slightly as if to ask why. "Look... I've had some feelings… and I'm pretty sure they're all but useless." I hinted, hoping she'd get the point.

"Ah." She said simply, turning to look at the barren landscape around us. Mountains rose in the background, signifying the border. We had all but left the grass at camp behind. "That's..." Cordelia murmured, looking back at me with concern. "Who does that involve? ...I-If you don't mind me asking...?"

"Well... She... I..." I stuttered, trying to put my thought process into words. "Gosh... How do I say this...?" I muttered beneath my teeth, looking wearily up at the path that lay ahead of us. "Look... I..." Sighing as I made up my mind to tell her, preparing to spill the beans. Leaning in, so as not to let anyone else hear, I lowered my voice to a whisper. "I've had a crush on Sumia forever, and… Well, I just can't talk around her. I don't know what it is. I feel like I can't even be myself." I looked up at Cordelia, who was obviously excited, her eyes widening in shock. "Why?" I asked, noticing her face brightening up quite a bit.

"That's..." She smiled, brushing the hair from her eyes. "I never knew you... Felt that way..." She seemed to not hear my side of the story at all, and was now musing about Sumia's love life. "That's great! … Well, that is, uh…"

"Cordelia..." I began, turning to look into her eyes as best as I could without loosing my composure. "Can you help me? I feel like I just can't win her heart, and I need your help…" She loosened a bit, seemingly stifling a giggle.

"Sure! Anything to help you!" She smiled, resting her hand on my shoulder. "Anything else you want to tell me? We have another few hours..." She stated, holding up her hand to emphasize her point. Someone was sure excited.

"O-Okay... But I also need to work up a strategy. Mind if we take a ride?" I asked, trying to hint at her Pegasus. She turned and untied Caeda from the caravan, jumping into the saddle. Holding out her hand, she helped me climb up onto the winged horse, sitting me behind her. We took off into the sky, a relieving wind tossing my sweat-soaked hair to the side. Grabbing my book with my left hand, I continued to read, gripping tightly onto her waist with my right hand. _I need to come up with a winning strategy. There has to be a way. We must save Emmeryn. Even if I have to make that sacrifice play..._

* * *

**A/N:** Here we go. The tension builds again.

So in this chapter, we have the training battle between the infamous Lon'qu and the struggling Ae'dyn. And then Sumia talks to him after the duel, and leaves suddenly. Ae'dyn starts to doubt himself, and falls asleep. The Shepherds move out the next morning, after Ae'dyn is rudely awakened by Chrom. Then he runs into Cordelia, and he starts planning the strategy to save Emmeryn.

Thanks to Gokart48 and Lux Aureus for the major help and the inspiration! Do them a favor, and make sure to check out their amazing stories.

I hope to be putting up the next chapter within a week. Thanks for following and reviewing. All of your suggestions and comments are really helpful; more so than I can express. And as always,

Have a wonderful day!

-Shadow


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